


The Last Time I Saw Him

by KrystalM



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: 22 years old Dipper Pines, Adult Dipper Pines, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempt at Humor, Bill Cipher Being Bill Cipher, Bill Cipher is a Jerk, Human Bill Cipher, Humor, M/M, Mabel Knows Everything, Oblivious Dipper Pines, Older Dipper Pines, Overprotective Bill Cipher, Possessive Bill Cipher, Post-Gravity Falls, Post-Weirdmageddon, Romance, Sexual Humor, Sexuality Crisis, Triangle Bill Cipher, True Mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-02-16 00:24:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 64,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13042662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrystalM/pseuds/KrystalM
Summary: It's been 10 years since Weirdmageddon and Dipper Pines comes back to Gravity Falls when he's given the Mystery Shack while Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford decide to travel the world. What is supposed to be a normal, as normal as Gravity Falls could get, housesitting job turns into something different and complicated when Dipper stumbles across the one person he didn't think he would or want to see, ever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: Hiiiiiiiii. Hi. Hi. Okay. So. This is my first ever Gravity Falls fan fiction. BillDip style. Though, I'm not sure if there still are people in the Gravity Falls fandom anymore. Hm. Either way, I've always wanted to write my own fan fiction on Gravity Falls and so, here it is. Again, I'm not sure if people want to read this or not, so do let me know if you guys want me to continue it! -Krystal

 

Dipper Pines was parking his car in front of the Mystery Shack. He leaned against his seat, looking at his steering wheel, drumming his fingers on it. With a deep breath, he unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the door, getting out of his old Chevy car his parents got for him when he turned eighteen. He closed the door shut and walked to the worn out building that he remembered by heart.

His lips stretched into a smile as the door opened and barrelled out was Grunkle Stanley, dragging three suitcase worth of stuff, wearing a hat, an ugly bright Hawaiian shirt with a pair of shorts. 

“‘Ford, hurry up!” Grunkle Stan yelled over his shoulders before he looked at Dipper. “You’re here! Great, take this.” Dipper grabbed the suitcase that Grunkle Stan tossed at him. Panicked, he gripped it tight against his chest. His eyes widened when he saw his Grunkle Ford coming out of the house with a matching set of Hawaiian shirt his twin brother wore.

Dipper blinked. That shirt looked so weird on his genius and serious grunkle. 

“What are you staring at?” Grunkle Ford spat out. Dipper took a step back, blinking a few more times. 

“Nothing, just, uh,” Dipper said as he dragged his eyes away from the ugly shirt before giving his grunkle a weak smile. “Nothing.”

“Yeah, right,” Grunkle Ford snorted as he pinched the front of his shirt with his forefinger and thumb, a distasteful look crossed his face. “Stanley made me wear this.”

“Don’t look so tense, Ford,” Grunkle Stan said as he slapped his twin’s shoulder. “Come on, we’re going to be late.”

“ _Late_? What _late_?” Grunkle Ford bit out. “We’re using the boat you built.”

“Exactly and as _Captain_ , I say we’re going to be late,” Grunkle Stan said with a grin. Dipper chuckled under his breath, watching the twins bickering. It made him miss Mabel. He sighed, adjusting the grip on the suitcase. Grunkle Ford made some unsavoury comments before he took the suitcase from Dipper. 

Grunkle Stan then looked at him, fishing out a set of keys from his pockets before he handed it over to Dipper. 

“I’m leaving the Shack to you,” Grunkle Stan said. “Take care of it. If anything happens to it, you’ll find yourself getting kicked to the moon.”

Dipper took the keys and clenched it. He grinned at Grunkle Stan. “I’ve been here helping you out since I was twelve, Grunkle Stan. I can take care of the Shack while you two go travelling the world.”

Grunkle Ford sighed. “And when I come back, I’ll make you my successor for my work, kid.”

Dipper’s eyes shone at that, excitement shot through his veins. “That’ll be awesome,” Dipper said, cheeks reddening. 

“Alright, time to go,” Grunkle Stan said as he grabbed Grunkle Ford by his elbow. He grabbed the other suitcase by his feet. “See you around, kid.”

“Bye,” Dipper said as he watched his grunkles walking to their car. Dipper stayed at the porch until they left and with a deep breath, Dipper turned and walked inside the small building. He closed the door shut, shoving the keys into his pockets. He pulled out his smartphone next before he dialled Mabel’s number. 

Mabel picked up after the first ring with a bright, “Hey there, Dippin’ Dop!”

“Mabel,” Dipper said with an easy smile, walking to the couch in the living room and slumping on it. “I’ve arrived to Gravity Falls and just sent our Grunkles off.”

Mabel giggled. “You now own the Mystery Shack, Dipper. How does it feel to become an owner of the Shack?”

Dipper hummed as he looked around the place. “I think it’s cool,” Dipper said. “It’s a bit quiet though without them.” After a second, he added with a slight frown, “Without you.”

Mabel remained quiet before she sighed. “I miss you too, bro-bro.”

“How’s London so far?” Dipper asked. Mabel began to chat his ear off about the friends she met and the boys she saw. She gushed about their accent and how she really liked it there. “I’m glad you’re enjoying your time there, Mabel.”

“This is going to be the best semester yet!” Mabel said. 

“I bet,” Dipper said with a chuckle. “Well, I’ll let you off now.”

“Right,” Mabel said. “I’ll talk to you later, Dipping Dots. I love you!”

“Love you too, Mabel,” Dipper said as the call ended. He tossed his phone on the couch and lied on it, staring at the ceiling as he let the quiet settle over him. It had been such a long time since he had done anything interesting.

Dipper rubbed a hand down his face as he recalled the last time he did something remotely interesting was when—

_No_.

That wasn’t interesting, that was terrifying and he must be sick in his head to want something like that to happen again. It took such a long time to beat _him_ and get rid of the chaos he brought with him. Dipper sat up before he got up from the couch, walking to the gift shop. He knew Wendy no longer worked here since she was busy with her university and Soos would be coming back in a week.

Dipper didn’t think it would be prudent to open the shop since there wasn’t any tourists during this season. It was fall and it was too cold for people to visit Gravity Falls. He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked out of the gift shop and went to the attic where his room was. 

Ever since he hit puberty, he was given his own room in the Shack and Dipper liked his room a lot. It was a decent room with enough air circulating inside to not make it too cold or too hot. Dipper pushed open the door to his room and walked inside, heading to his desk where his papers were still strewn over from the last time he had been here which was back in summer with Mabel. 

Dipper picked a piece of paper before he dropped it back on the table. He shoved his hands in his pockets, rocking his weight back and forth on his feet. Dipper looked around his room, licking his lips before he shrugged. 

He was bored. 

So, he walked out of his room, down the stairs and out of the Shack, heading to his car. He opened the passenger seat and grabbed his backpack. Closing the door, he swung his bag over his shoulders and nodded. He made sure the front door to the Shack was locked before he trudged to the forest. 

He knew that he shouldn’t be out here alone, unsupervised, especially judging by the fact that crazy things tend to happen when one explored Gravity Falls forest. But Dipper had gotten used to it. In fact, he craved the craziness and weirdness Gravity Falls had. 

Dipper knew his own journal was in his bag so he could document everything. He had followed Grunkle Ford’s steps and tried to carry on his research as well help Grunkle Ford on his own researches. Dipper continued to walk deeper into the forest, listening to the quietness only Gravity Falls forests could radiate with. The soft crunch sounds that came from beneath his boots made him feel in peace. 

After walking around for the past twenty minutes, he found the familiar clearing he usually sat at whenever he came here. Without hesitation, he went to the one tree that sheltered him from the rain and sun. He sat down under the leaves, stretching his legs out as he brought his bag to his lap and leaned against the familiar rough bark. 

“I’m back,” Dipper said with a smile as he patted the grass. 

The wind hummed in response, swiping his hat off his head. Dipper grabbed it, grinning as he shoved it in his front pockets. 

He opened his bag and pulled out his journal and a pen. He opened to the last page he documented and began to complete the rest of the information he gathered. He made a note to catch a picture of this creature next time he saw it. He knew he could find it easily especially since it was autumn. It preferred colder climates. 

Dipper let himself get lost in the rhythm of writing and listening to the peacefulness. 

About three pages in, he stopped scribbling when he heard a soft whistle, echoing around him. Dipper furrowed his eyebrows as he lifted his eyes from his journal. When he looked around, he saw no one and nothing that could have made the sound. Still, it made him alert enough to be cautious. 

This was his spot. There hadn’t been any weirdness happening around this spot. It was like the most normal spot in the entire forest so far. 

It had been for years now. 

Dipper sighed. 

This was Gravity Falls. What did he expect?

Dipper went back to writing the next page and stopped when he thought he heard another whistle, this time louder than before. Dipper snapped closed his journal and shoved it into his bag, sitting straighter. His mocha brown eyes stared ahead before he looked around again. 

He gripped his bag tight before he pushed himself to stand. When Dipper looked at the sky, he realised the sky was no longer blue but becoming soft orange. He better get back to the Shack then. He really didn’t want to be in the forest at night.

There was a thin line between adventurous and suicidal when it came to exploring. 

Dipper was hoping to keep himself to the side of adventurous without tumbling to the other side by being careless. 

He swung his bag over his shoulders and started his trek back to the Shack. Dipper frowned when he felt someone staring at him. Dipper stopped walking and turned around, his frown deepening when he still couldn’t see what it was that was staring at him. 

But he could _feel_ it. 

Someone or something was staring at him and it made him feel uneasy. He tightened his grip on the straps of his bag as he continued to walk, his footsteps quickening. That was when he heard crunch sounds echoing from all around the forest. It made his blood run cold and before he knew it, he was running. His heartbeat accelerated when he heard a loud low growl coming right behind him.

He didn’t have to turn and look to know what it was. 

It was one of those night creatures, a hybrid between a wolf and a hound, with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth with six paws. They usually roamed during cold climates. Dipper didn’t think they would be out when the sun was still shining but then again, he should have expected it, really.

If those things caught him, he would die.

Dipper kept running and running and he heard those creatures catching up to him. 

Shit, Dipper even lost track at where he was going, his main priority was to lose the demon dog or wolf or whatever it was called. Dipper was too panicked to call it by its name. He just wanted to be free of it. 

Dipper could hear the same whistling sound, echoing throughout the forest, this time, it sounded like it was beckoning him towards it. Dipper knew he shouldn’t but he couldn’t stop himself from following the whistling sound. 

The more he ran towards it, the louder it became and before he knew it, he stumbled across a statue. 

Dipper gasped as he tripped over something and went flying towards the statue, half-embedded into the ground. He scrambled to his back and started to shove himself backwards as he came face to face to the creature, growling low, froth in its mouth. Its red eyes glowed as the sky continued to darken. 

Dipper couldn’t believe the predicament he was in. When his back hit the statue, he flinched. He was in between the two things he despised of. 

“Stop,” Dipper whispered, trying to think of a way to escape. “Stop.”

The only answer he got was a strong growl and then it pounced. Dipper closed his eyes tight and all he could think was: _Help! Help me! Please, I don’t want to die! I’ll do anything!_

Dipper trembled as he waited for the pain to bloom from being bitten. 

But then, all he heard was a loud whine and paws scrambling away, thundering the ground further and further away from him. Dipper snapped open his eyes, taking in sharp gasps as he stared at the fleeting creature. 

Dipper blinked a few times. 

“Well…,” a voice said, coming from behind him. Dipper froze when he felt a pair of hands wrapping his chest, legs framing his body and a chin tucked on his shoulder. “That was a close escape, wasn’t it, Pine Tree?”

Dipper’s eyes widened, taking in a sharp gasp.

Oh. 

Fuck.

_No._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: Well, looks like this fandom isn't dead after all! Woots! I didn't think this story would even get any reads or comments. Like the hits keep coming but no one is acknowledging this story either with a kudos or comment so I'm like 'Welp. Guess this isn't that great.' and then I went to bed, got up, and bam, you guys have shown yourself to me. //cough// Thank you guys for reading, commenting, subscribing, giving this story kudos and bookmarking. Keep up with the comments and kudos and subscribing because there's more to come and I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you guys think! Until next chapter~! -Krystal

 

Dipper scrambled away from the person, turning around and staggering to his feet. His eyes were wide, his mouth hung open as he stared at this person, sitting on the ground cross legged, an elbow on his knee and his chin cradled on his palm. Dipper closed his mouth and continued to stare at him before he shook his head. 

This…This wasn’t happening.

He was still sleeping somewhere.

This wasn’t _real_. 

He heard chuckles coming from the man and Dipped flinched. 

“Oh, this is _fun_!” the man chirped, sitting up straight. “If I knew you’d get this speechless, I would’ve shown up a long time ago!”

Dipper’s mind blanked. There was no way— _no way_ this was…

“Who the fuck are you?” Dipper hissed as he took a step back. His nerves were singing and he was _this close_ to running away. The man blinked before he tossed his head back and laughed.

And laughed.

And _laughed_.

His laughter sent shivers running down Dipper’s spine. It was sharp and echoey, almost with a twang of darkness to it. It didn’t sound _Human_. Dipper _knew_ he wasn’t Human. 

“Phew!” the man said as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye, his lips stretched wide into a manic grin, his teeth; white and sharp. “You’re funny, Pine Tree! So very hilarious! But hey! Do you know what’s even more hilarious?”

Dipper took another step back. 

“Pain!” the man doubled up cackling when Dipper took another step back, tripping over something and landing on his back, his head hitting the ground with a loud thud. Dipper felt his heart stop beating, the pain not even registering. He sat up, ignoring how his mind protested at the quick movement. Fear started coiling in his heart. The man stopped laughing as fast as he started, one golden eye staring right into the pair of brown mocha ones. 

Dipper felt his breath hitching when the man stood up, his grin stretched wider. He took a step towards Dipper, to which the twenty-two-years-old scooted back. The man stopped at that, his eye narrowing. 

“Who…?” Dipper choked out.

“Huh,” the man said, shoving his white gloved hands in his black pants pockets. “I thought you were smarter than this, kid. Come on! Don’t tell me you forgot about me?” The man continued to walk towards Dipper and Dipper scooted backwards the closer the man got. When Dipper’s back hit a tree bark, he froze. 

The man noticed that and laughed, standing in front of Dipper before he crouched down and leaned towards him. Their faces were close and Dipper’s heart raced in his chest. His mind was totally blank in panic. His fingers twitched before he grasped the ground. The man continued to lean in and until their noses almost brushed.

Dipper couldn’t move.

His muscles locked up and he didn’t know what to do. 

With a low voice, a baritone that made Dipper shiver, the man said, “I’m your worst _nightmare_.”

The golden eye turned red and the normal pupil became a slit. Dipper, now fear ranked up to one-hundred, decided to get out of here, get away from this man. He did the only thing that came to his mind. 

He raised his knee and slammed it against the man’s stomach before he kicked him away. The man grunted—curling on the ground, a gloved hand clutched his bruised stomach as he glared at Dipper. Dipper, gulping, stood up and turned around to run away. He caught a glimpse of the stone before he ran—or where the stone should have been because now it was gone. 

_Gone_.

His heart was beating loud in his ears and he was sweating. He kept running, faster and faster until he felt like the world was passing by him in seconds. 

Dipper didn’t know where he was going, he just wanted to get away from him. 

The brunet _knew_. Dipper knew _who_ it was. 

He just didn’t want to acknowledge it because this wasn’t _possible_!

Dipper stumbled out of the forest and realised he was near the Mystery Shack. 

He ran into the Shack and barrelled into the house, slamming the front door shut. He turned to look at the front door and took a few more steps back before he hurried to the living room where his phone was. He grabbed it and ran up the stairs into his room. He closed his room door and tossed his bag on the ground. He toed off his dirty boots and crossed to his desk, searching through the scattered papers to find the pages of a book Grunkle Ford lent to him to study about demons and what not. 

His mind raced as he took one paper and tossed it behind him when it wasn’t the one he was looking for. One by one, papers scattered to the floor. His shoulders tensing every time he found a paper and realised it couldn’t help him. 

_Oh God_ , Dipper realised with sudden clarity that halted his search for a split second. _I don’t think there’s any information on how to stop him anymore._

Dipper hadn’t focused on him since ten years ago. The notes about him were no longer useful, thinking that they had defeated him for good. He thought that once he was gone, he was _gone_. So, Dipper didn’t keep any of the notes anymore and instead had hidden them away somewhere. 

He couldn’t remember where. _Great_.

Maybe there was still notes in Grunkle Ford’s lab. With that thought, Dipper turned around only to gasp when a gloved hand touched his neck, fingers clenching his throat and pushing him against his desk. 

Panicked, Dipper grabbed the hand and tried to pry the fingers away and stopped—gasping for air when the fingers tightened almost cutting off his air supply in warning. 

The man’s eye blazed in red. 

“What?” the man said, grinning darkly. “Not happy to see me again, Pine Tree?”

“B— _Bill_ ,” Dipper rasped. 

“So, you _aren’t_ an idiot!” Bill said, grinning wider. “ _Good_. I’d hate to think the meatsack that almost ruined me was actually an idiot.”

“S—Stop, ca— _can’t breathe_!” Dipper struggled to say as his eyes widened. Bill hummed, taking a step closer as he tilted his head to one side, as if assessing the brunet. “B— _Bill_!”

“Oh, what was that?” Bill said, almost in a bored tone. He would have looked bored too if not for how red his eye was. He tightened his grip even more and Dipper started to struggle. He placed his hands on Bill’s chest, trying to push him away. “You want air? Those things that you meatsacks need to live? Ah, you see, I want to kill you, so why would I do that?”

Dipper felt dizzy and he was about to gag. He needed to breathe or he was going to die! 

“But I guess since we’ve known each other for quite some time, I’ll be…merciful,” Bill said, licking his lips, his tongue touched his fangs. “How about we make a deal? For good time’s sake? Something in exchange for your life.”

Dipper’s vision started to blur. “B—Bill!”

“ _Deal_ , Pine Tree,” Bill said, chastising, his red eye becoming gold again. “Or you _die_.”

Dipper tried to shake away from the grip but when Bill yawned and pushed Dipper against the desk with even more force, Dipper knew Bill was just going to keep on choking him until he either gave in or he died. He had no choice. He didn’t want to give in though.

“So?” Bill said. 

Dipper’s eyes filled with tears. The fear, the panic of dying, the scariness of everything caught up to him and he, at last for his life, nodded. Bill let him go immediately, taking a step back with an amused laugh. Dipper gasped and fell to the ground on his side. He took in deep breaths, his heartbeat that slowed down a moment ago started to pick up. His mind overloaded and his senses went on overdrive. 

His vision blurred and focused, over and over until he had to close his eyes or he would’ve vomited. 

He heard footsteps walking past him. Then, he heard papers being shuffled. Dipper opened his eyes after a while, after his heart beat normalised and he felt like he wasn’t going to have a heart attack or something. Tears did escape his eyes when he opened them though. He looked at the desk and realised that Bill was standing there, reading a few of the papers before he tossed them over his shoulder, taking another paper to read before doing the same to it. 

Dipper scrunched his eyebrows, confusion and fear welling up in his chest. 

This wasn’t the triangle that possessed his body and almost killed his family. 

This was a _man_. A man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties. He wore a suit, black pants, a white buttoned up shirt over with a black jacket. He also wore a gold bowtie. There were also gold trimmings on his sleeves and pants. His shoes were gold as well. 

The man had blond hair, almost gold blond. 

He used to be a fucking triangle. Why was he a man? How the hell was he a man? Bill must have possessed someone for it. Who was the body Bill took control of? Fuck, how long had Bill been doing all of this? 

There were so many questions forming in his head and he wanted answers. Answers to which half of him were telling him not to get. Because this was Bill and his answers had never been favourable. 

“Who…How?” Dipper rasped as he tried to sit up, his mind unable to comprehend what happened. He touched his throat and winced at the shot of pain just by grazing his skin. He didn’t have to look in the mirror to know there were bruises on it. 

Bill hummed, turning around to look at him before he grinned. 

“You really didn’t think you stupid meatsacks could get rid of me that easily, did you?” Bill asked, his gold eyes momentarily flashed red in warning before they turned gold again. He, then, waved the papers in his hands. “This is all great, kid.” 

Dipper watched him and his eyes widened when blue fire burned the papers in his hands. Dipper stood up and launched at Bill but the demon jumped away, burning the paper into crisps and nothing. 

“No!” Dipper yelled as he looked at the now ash that fell from Bill’s hand to the floor. 

“But you don’t need all of this now that I’m back,” Bill said, rubbing his hands to get rid of the excess ash. Dipper glared at Bill. “So, the deal—”

“I’m not doing any deals with you!” Dipper yelled, taking a step back from the demon. “Stay away from me! I’ll call Grunkle Ford and he’ll defeat you again!”

Bill stared at Dipper before he laughed. 

“Oh, Pine Tree,” Bill said, shaking his head. “You’ve really become funny since the last time I saw you.” 

“How the hell are you like this?” Dipper growled, looking around his room to find something to repel Bill. 

“Oh, you mean this?” Bill said, twirling around. “I made it.”

Dipper froze as that settled in his mind. “No, you did not. You possessed someone for that!”

“No, I made it,” Bill said, lips quirking one side in amusement. “I’m pretty creative, if I say so myself.”

Dipper didn’t know how to reply to that. So, he didn’t. Instead, he shot his bedroom door a look and started running for it. He yelped when someone slammed his body against the door, turning him around until his head knocked on the wood. Bill was standing in front of him, glowering at him. There was no longer any amusement in his eye. His fingers dug painfully into Dipper’s shoulder, making the young burnet to bite his inner cheek from exclaiming in pain. 

“Listen here, Pine Tree,” Bill hissed as his golden eye slowly turned red and his pupil slit. “I’m giving you one last chance here to not act like an idiot. Make a deal with me. Or _else_.”

Dipper felt a lump forming in his throat when he saw gold tendrils curling around Bill’s neck, creeping on his tan skin to reach his face. It made the demon look menacing. 

“Or…or else what?” Dipper asked, sounding terrified even though he tried not to show it. Bill grinned, his teeth sharper than before. 

“Or _else_ ,” Bill said as he took a step closer. Dipper closed his eyes tight when he felt Bill leaning in close, his gold hair tickling his cheek. “You can say goodbye to everyone you love. Did you think I wouldn’t dare to bring back the hell I put you all through?”

Dipper’s eyes snapped open and his breath quickened. Bill pulled away and smiled, looking scarily happy.

“So, what do you say?” Bill said. His happy tone was contrasting the sharp claws threatening to pierce through Dipper’s shirt and skin. 

Dipper licked his lips. “Why me?” he asked. 

Bill hummed. “Because I like the idea of taking what I want from the same meatsack that ruined my plans. Humiliated, under my mercy, it’s a nice image in my head, Pine Tree.”

Dipper winced at that. “We defeated you once, Bill. We can do it again!”

Bill shrugged. “You’ll just have to die trying. And then I’ll kill your family too. Starting with Shooting Star. She hasn’t changed a bit, has she?”

That made Dipper’s blood run cold. How long had Bill been watching them? Had Bill gotten stronger somehow? When he looked into Bill’s eye, he knew that the demon wasn’t joking. Even with the sharp grin on his face, there were still traces of red in the golden orb. He thought about his family, about Mabel and he didn’t want Bill anywhere near her. 

If anything happened to Mabel because of him…

He bit his inner cheek, taking in a deep breath. 

“Okay,” Dipper said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. What the fuck was he doing?

Bill let Dipper go and tilted his head to the side, his golden eye narrowing. 

“If you try to run,” Bill warned.

“Let’s just make the stupid deal, Bill,” Dipper snapped, panicking. 

Bill smiled then, deadly, predatorily, everything that made Dipper’s nerves scream in warning, asking him to get away from the demon. To run. To hide. To do anything and everything in his power to bolt out of there. But he stood his ground when he thought about Mabel. 

He had to keep her safe.

“Great!” Bill said, clapping his gloved hands once. “Are you ready for this?”

Dipper clenched his jaw. “Get on with it. What’s the stupid deal?”

“In exchange for your life and your…family’s,” Bill said, hissing at the end, eye glowing red. Dipper winced. “You let me into your mind.”

Dipper’s first instinct was to say no. 

“Why the hell do you need to enter my mind?” Dipper screeched. 

“Because, Pine Tree,” Bill said, sounding bored. “You don’t want to die. You don’t want your sister to _die_.”

Dipper felt the fear in him increasing. 

“Don’t you?” Bill asked, mockingly innocent. 

“I _need_ to know _why_ you want to enter my mind, Bill,” Dipper stated, hoping his voice didn’t shake. That was a wrong thing to say though, he realised when before he could blink, Bill had wrapped his fingers around Dipper’s throat and lifted him off the ground. 

“Listen, kid,” Bill growled, his voice rumbling and no longer Human sounding. “You don’t _need_ to know the reasons. I don’t _need_ to let you know _why_. You either grant me permission into your mind or I’ll _kill you_ and the rest of your family and take your _soul_ instead.”

Dipper gagged when Bill tightened his fingers around his throat. His red eye narrowed. 

“Is that _clear_?” Bill growled again. 

Dipper nodded and Bill let him go. Once again, Dipper dropped to the ground, coughing as he took in deep breaths of air, touching his neck. Tears were in his eyes from the fear. He didn’t know what to do. The last thing he wanted to do was make a deal with Bill. 

“Get up, kid,” Bill said as he grabbed Dipper’s arm and with a show of strength, he dragged the twenty-two-years-old up and against the door, keeping him upright. “Deal?”

Dipper opened and closed his mouth before he shook his head. Bill’s eye flared red again.

“N—No, listen!” Dipper said, shaking his head to make his point clear in case Bill tried to choke him again. “I…I’ll agree…if only!”

“If only… _what_?” Bill spat out. “I don’t have the patience to deal with you, Pine Tree. You better spit it out before you force my hand to do something you’d hate.”

“If only you _don’t_ touch or see my memories,” Dipper said. “You don’t get to possess me. You don’t hurt me or harm me. You don’t get to harm my families, including anyone that my family and I, deem important. You don’t kill them. You don’t harm them. In return, I’ll let you into my head if only you don’t touch my memories and you don’t possess me.”

Bill’s lips thinned before he pulled his hand away, standing up straight. 

“These are the conditions,” Dipper said as he placed both palms against the door to keep himself from falling. He was stricken with fear and beginnings of anxiety. 

“You really think you have the power to demand me of things?” Bill asked, but he didn’t sound mean, merely amused and intrigued. Dipper bared his teeth. 

“I fucking _hate_ you, Bill,” Dipper said. “But I’ll do it for my family _only_ if you agree to those conditions.”

“Or else what?” Bill wondered out loud. Dipper’s muscles locked and he clenched his jaw. He raised his mocha brown eyes that were filled with hate to look at the demon. 

“Or else even when I’m dying, I’ll make sure your victory will taste stale and bitter,” Dipper said. Bill blinked once and twice before he snorted. 

“You’ve got balls, kid,” Bill said before he gave Dipper a Cheshire grin. “I’m starting to like that.”

Dipper’s cheeks flushed but it was purely out of disgust than anything else. “Do we have a deal or not?”

“Sure,” Bill said as he handed a hand out, blue fire glowing on his palm. “Let’s shake on it, Pine Tree!”

Dipper eyed the hand before he took in a deep breath, wincing at how painful his throat felt. He sighed as he reached for the hand. Bill grabbed his hand and fire immediately consumed it. It wasn’t painful, but it still felt uncomfortable. When Dipper snatched his hand back, cradling it against his chest, he looked at Bill. 

Bill sighed, smiling. He raised one gloved hand and ran his fingers down Dipper’s cheek, his golden eye gleaming in satisfaction. He took a step closer towards the brunet and his smile spread on his lips in a way that spelt trouble. 

Dipper’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach.

“ _Pine Tree_ , you have _no idea_ what you’ve just done.”

And then the world turned black, one golden eye glowing bright being the last thing he saw. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: Here you guys go! Chapter 3! Wow, thank you guys for the support! It makes me happy you guys like what I've written out so far, haha. Honest confession here: I have no idea how I'm doing with Bill. He's really hard to write, mainly because he's so unpredictable and eccentric. But I had fun writing him either way. Again, THANK YOU to those who have read, commented, subscribed, bookmarked and gave this story a kudos! Let me know what you guys thought of this and until next chapter~! -Krystal

 

Dipper gasped and shot up sitting, heart beating wildly against his chest, eyes wide. His body trembled and for a second, all he could feel was panic. Panic and _fear_. He touched his chest, pressing his palm against it and even through his clothes, he could feel his heart trying to leap out of his chest. 

His body ached like there could be bruises all over them. His throat felt dry and parched. His head hurt, throbbing every time he took a deep breath. Dipper’s fingers twitched as he touched his throat, gasping when he touched tender skin. 

He touched his face and pulled his hand away, realising that his fingers were wet. A few droplets of tears fell from his eyes to his legs, making barely wet splotches on his jeans.

What _happened_?

He looked around the place, noting that he was in his room, on his bed. He looked at his desk to find all of his papers strewn on the ground, his chair toppled over and his desk pushed forward, making a dent on the wall behind it. Dipper looked around some more, his room was dark and one glance from the big window at the opposite of his bed told him it was night time. 

What _time_ was it?

He groaned, touching his head, almost whimpering at the increasing sensation of pain. 

“You’re awake, great!” a voice said, coming from next to him. Dipper snapped his gaze to his right and froze when his eyes landed on Bill, not a triangle Bill but a Human-sized Bill, reading some papers in his hands. Dipper stared at him for a while before he yelped and scurried away from him, only to topple over and fall to his back on the ground with a loud thud. 

That made all the rest of the aches in his body amplified tenfold, causing him to whimper again. 

He remembered everything now. His heartbeat started to race faster than before, making it hard for him to breathe. 

“ _Yeesh_!” Bill said as he walked to stand next to Dipper, looking down at him with a grin on his face. “Don’t be so keen to please me, kid.” Dipper stared at him, biting his inner cheek from saying anything. He didn’t know _what_ to say either. 

He made a _deal_ with Bill.

He. Made. A. Deal. With. _Bill_. 

To let him enter his mind!

The pain in his head increased and he gritted his teeth. 

“Why the fuck does it _hurt_?” Dipper breathed out, trying to sound mean but at the end only succeeding to sound weak. Bill hummed—crouching next to Dipper, staring at him. His grin widened, chuckling. 

“Your mind is fascinating,” Bill said as he pressed a gloved finger against Dipper’s forehead. Dipper flinched, trying to move away only to stop when Bill pressed against his forehead harder. Dipper was terrified of him. He could be acting all tough in front of the demon but he was still _terrified_ him. “That’s flattering! Keep being terrified of me! It’s the highest compliment you can give a demon, you know.”

Dipper stilled.

“You’re…,” Dipper said, fearing for the answer.

His stomach clenched when Bill’s eye flashed in amusement, confirming Dipper’s thoughts. 

“You let me into your mind, kid,” Bill said. “Of course I can read your thoughts.”

Dipper slapped his finger away and Bill laughed, sitting on the floor next to him, his legs curled up against his chest. Dipper sat up, scooting away from him and glared. 

“I fucking _hate_ you,” Dipper hissed, still aware how painful his head feels. 

“Don’t worry, kid!” Bill said, his eye glowed. “I’ll make your boring short _useless_ life interesting!”

Another wave of pain washed into him and he clutched his head, trying his best to swallow the whimper that threatened to escape his lips. “Why does it fucking hurt?” Dipper snapped. 

“I’m in your mind, kid,” Bill said, in a bored tone. “You meatsacks aren’t strong enough to handle my presence.”

Dipper paled when he realised what Bill meant. 

“Bill, the deal was that you can’t _hurt_ me,” Dipper gritted out, irritated now. Bill rolled his eye, standing up. “ _Bill_!”

“Stop shouting,” Bill said, rubbing his right ear before he lazily moved one hand in an upward motion. “Get up.”

Dipper didn’t move. Instead, he sharpenedhis glare at the demon in front of him, vowing he would find a way to exorcise him back to wherever the fuck he came from. Bill’s eye narrowed. 

“Get up,” Bill said, his voice lower than before, a tone of warning in his voice. 

“How about _you_ come _down?_ ” Dipper spat, the stubborn part of him refused to give in to Bill. He had taken away his mind, the least he could do was get down on the floor with him. Bill tilted his head to one side. 

“One last time, Pine Tree,” Bill said, sounding impatient. “ _Get_. _Up_.”

“ _Fuck_. _You_ ,” Dipper said. 

Bill sighed but it didn’t sound regretful. It sounded almost gleeful, like he expected Dipper to say that. That sent warning bells ringing in his mind. 

“ _Wait_ —” Dipper began and yelped when he felt an invisible force curling around his body, pulling him up from the ground before forcefully pushing him forward, causing him to stumble towards Bill. Bill simply stood there and grasped his arms once Dipper smashed face first into his chest. Bill chuckled, his voice close to his ear. 

Dipper froze momentarily before he placed his hands on Bill’s chest and pushed him away. Bill staggered a few steps but he had an amused expression on his face. The twenty-two-years-old felt his face becoming hot from what happened. He could still feel the soft material that was Bill’s clothes pressed against his face. He also couldn’t help but to notice how much warmer Bill’s body ran compared to his. 

“Come on, kid,” Bill said in a knowing drawl. “Don’t make this difficult.”

“Make what dif— _What_ are you trying to do?” Dipper screeched when Bill took long strides towards him with a determined look on his face, a hand shot out to grip the mocha-brown-eyed man by his arm. The grip was solid and tight, almost like steel wrapped around his arm, preventing him from moving and yanking. Dipper’s heart stopped beating when Bill took another step towards him, their bodies closer than an inch. 

“I’m trying to help ease the pain in your head, Pine Tree,” Bill said, no longer sounding amused. “Shut the fuck up and let me help.”

Dipper licked his lips, still aware that his body ached and his throat parched. He kept his eyes glued on Bill’s shoulder, noting that the demon was taller than him by a good three inches. Dipper was not short by any means, but he still hated not having average male height, instead, he was only one inch or so taller than Mabel. It sucked. And now with Bill towering him like a giant, Dipper was starting to feel even more self-conscious. 

He heard Bill snort. 

Dipper glared at his shoulder.

“Just do it,” Dipper mumbled. A hand brushed through his fringe, pushing it backwards to reveal his forehead. Dipper’s eyes widened and he immediately pushed the hand away. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Pine Tree,” Bill growled, his golden eye bleeding red. “I’ll make the pain worse for you if you don’t fucking shut up.”

Dipper opened his mouth and closed it when the pain in his head increased tenfold. He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes, taking in sharp breaths as he tried to push the pain away himself. Dipper touched his head, fingers digging through his brown locks, close to pulling them out of his scalp if it would mean the pain just _stopped_. 

He barely registered Bill’s hand once again brushing back his fringe to reveal the birthmark on his forehead that he absolutely loathed. It was a constellation. A constellation that gave him his nickname. Gloved fingers grazed at the constellation and just like that, the pain started to seep away. 

Dipper blinked open his eyes, unaware that he had tears running down his face again. He tilted his head up and noticed that Bill’s golden eye was concentrated on his forehead. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his free hand itching to push Bill away but unable to do so, not when he felt this wave of calmness washing into him in steady pulses. The pain finally vanished but Bill’s fingers still remained on his forehead, brushing left and right on his skin, almost tracing the constellation. 

Dipper stared at him. For the first time since this all started, his mind was silent. 

“Thanks,” Dipper found himself saying before he decided to snap back online because—did he just _thank_ a fucking demon? Bill cracked a grin and dropped his golden eye to look into Dipper’s mocha ones. Dipper scowled, knowing that the demon had read his mind.

“Bingo!” Bill said, eye glinting. Dipper managed to wretch his arm from Bill’s grasp, taking a few steps away from him. 

“Whatever,” Dipper grumbled. “What the fuck do you want now?”

Bill grinned wider. “Now, Pine Tree,” Bill said. “You _owe_ me.”

Dipper blinked. “That’s…,” Dipper said. “Not going to happen.”

Bill shrugged. “It will.” It was said in such a way that Dipper could literally feel his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach. “You _owe_ me, Pine Tree. You didn’t think every time I do something… _nice_ …it’ll be for free, did you? I’m a demon, Pine Tree. I _collect_ debts!”

Bill chuckled, sounding pleased with himself and Dipper realised with his blood running cold that that was true. Bill was a demon. Demons thrived for deals and debts. Dipper owed _him_. 

“Righto!” Bill said, his golden eye staring dead into Dipper’s. “And there’ll be many more times where _you’ll_ owe _me_.”

“I fucking _hate_ you,” Dipper hissed, taking a step towards him, feeling anger and humiliation burning through him. “You think you’ve won but when the time comes, I’ll defeat you again.”

“That’s threatening and all, kid,” Bill said with an uninterested wave, yawning as if Dipper bored him. “But now I’m bored! What do you meatsacks do for fun around here?”

Dipper frowned. Instead of answering Bill, he decided to walk past him to get to the door. He slammed his shoulder purposely against Bill’s arm. He grabbed the doorknob and hesitated. He remembered the last time he tried to leave and Bill almost choked him to death. He shivered at that, the anger dissipated and fear replaced it. 

Dipper gathered enough courage to look over his shoulders and blink a few times in confusion when he didn’t see Bill. Dipper turned around, scanning his room. Bill wasn’t here. 

Dipper frowned before he opened his door and walked out. He heard loud clangs coming from downstairs. Dipper followed the sound, walking down the stairs, mindful with the aches on his body and turned to the living room where he saw Bill touching everything and anything he could get his hands on before placing them on a different location. 

He even turned some of the photos in the frames around so it showed the blank side of it. Dipper frowned deeper, crossing his hands and gripping his arm tight with his own fingers. 

“What are you doing?” Dipper asked. 

Bill hummed as he shook one of the snow globes that Grunkle Stan kept. Then, he tossed it over his shoulder and Dipper watched horrified as it fell to the ground and shattered. 

“Bill!” Dipper exclaimed and hurried to him, accidentally stepping on the shards of glass. He hissed and stepped back, the shard of glass lodging deep into the sole of his foot. Dipper fell on his ass, yelping as tears gathered in his eyes. Now he was hurting everywhere but his head! Dipper grabbed his leg and looked at it, noticing a few shards were sticking out of his foot. 

Blood was oozing out of the injured places, dripping to the floor. 

Bill, though, was laughing, leaning against the shelves. 

“Pain is hilarious!” Bill cackled as he clutched his stomach. “Pine Tree! You’re hilarious when you’re in pain!”

Dipper didn’t even dignify that with an answer. He tried to pick at the glass shards but it only made the pain worse and more blood oozed out. He was starting to panic. Mabel had always knew how to take care of his injuries, being the careless type of person he was. 

But she wasn’t here and Dipper was too panicked to start thinking rationally. He needed to treat his injuries before a tiny piece of glass end up shooting into his veins and killing him. 

Bill stopped laughing, finally. Dipper glanced at him, blinking away the tears but he couldn’t stop a few of them slipping past his eyes and wetting his already wet cheeks. He was scared of dying because of these fucking shards. He tried to pick on them again only to flinch at the sharp pain. 

“You need some help there, kid?” Bill asked, even though Dipper knew he _knew_ what he wanted. Dipper refused to beg. Refused to ask for Bill’s help, so he did the one thing he usually did when he panicked. He stood up, wobbling a bit. He stood with one foot and pulled out his cellphone from his pockets. 

He dialled Mabel’s number and waited for her to pick up as he leaned against the back of his couch.

“Dipper?” Mabel’s voice came through, sounding confused. 

“M— _Mabel_ ,” Dipper choked out, relief washing into him hearing Mabel’s voice. “I need…need your help.”

“Dipper?” Mabel said, alarmed. “Why do you sound like that? What’s wrong?”

Dipper opened his mouth and was about to speak when his phone burned in his hands. Dipper screamed and dropped the phone to the ground, watching with shocked wet eyes as it burned with blue flames licking all over it until it was nothing but melted plastic and cracked glass on the floor. 

“M—My _phone_!” Dipper exclaimed. He gasped when Bill stood in front of him, close. Before Dipper could comprehend what was happening, Bill placed a hand on his chest and pushed him over the couch. Dipper toppled over, hands flailing as panic surged through him. He landed with half of his body on the cushions while his legs were hooked at the back of his couch. 

He was bent uncomfortably. 

“W—What are you—” Dipper stopped when he felt Bill’s fingers circling his ankle, and another hand touching the sole of his injured foot. Bill didn’t say anything, his golden eye trained on Dipper’s face. His face was blank, void of emotions. It made Dipper shiver. His palms became sweaty and his mind started to drift form one horrible scenario to the next. 

It was a few seconds of silence but when Bill dropped his hand from the sole of Dipper’s foot, the brunet realised he couldn’t feel any pain there. In fact, when he wiggled his toes, he felt fine. Dipper’s eyes widened as he looked at Bill. 

“You…healed it?” Dipper asked, sounding confused and wary. Bill tightened his grip around Dipper’s ankle until the brunet cried out. “Bill! That hurts!”

“Here’s the _thing_ , Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice sharp and cold. “If you tell _anyone_ about our deal, I’ll break our contract and take your soul.”

Dipper’s heart stopped beating before he pushed himself on his elbows, glaring at Bill. He tried to pull his ankle away from Bill’s grip only to fail. “Let me go, you asshole! Demons can’t break a contract!”

Bill grinned. It wasn’t like his other grins so far. No, this was darker, spoke of ill intent. His gold eye sharpened, deadly. Dipper felt claws trying to pierce through the skin around his ankle. 

“Don’t _test_ me, Pine Tree,” Bill spat. “Don’t fucking _push_ me. Keep your mouth shut about me and the deal, and we’ll be good, okay?” When Dipper didn’t answer him, he dug his claws into Dipper’s ankles, dangerously close to pushing it deep into his skin. “ _Okay_?”

“Yes!” Dipper said, terrified once again at the thought of losing a limb. Bill relaxed and a smile graced his lips, the darkness and coldness that were present moments ago vanished. Bill took a step back from him, letting his ankle go, tilting his head to the left and right before he rolled his shoulders. 

“Great, glad we have an understanding, kid,” Bill said. “Now, you owe me again!” Bill chuckled as he walked away from Dipper. The brunet was frozen there on the couch, his elbows gave out under his weight and he flopped on it, letting his head dangle backwards at the edge of the cushions. He stared ahead at the television, upside down. 

He was so exhausted already. 

Shit, _Mabel_. 

Dipper pushed his legs across the couch and toppled to the floor. He managed to catch himself on his palms and pushed himself to stand up. He rubbed a hand down his face, wincing at how dirty he felt. 

“I need a phone, Bill,” Dipper grumbled as he walked around the couch to where his destroyed phone was. “I need to talk to Mabel.”

Bill ignored him as he went back to turning the entire living room upside down. 

“Fuck, she must be so worried,” Dipper continued to grumble. “I need to contact her to let her know I’m fine, Bill. _Bill_? Are you fucking _listening_ to me, you dorito piece of—” 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, glancing at him. His golden eye flashed in warning. Dipper gritted his teeth and turned around, walking out of the living room to the kitchen. Dipper glanced at the tap and touched his neck, wincing at the soreness. 

He grabbed a glass and turned the tap on, letting the glass to be filled up with water. He gulped it all down, some water trickles escaped his lips and ran down his throat, wetting the collar of shirt. He gasped as he slammed the glass in the sink, turning the tap off and leaning on the edge of the sink, leaning his weight on both of his elbows. He had his head ducked, eyes closed. 

He was done for today. He was _so_ done. Dipper wanted to take a shower and fucking sleep for days. He wondered just how bruised he looked. He almost smiled, hysterically, at the image that popped in his head. 

_‘Fuck you, Bill. If you’re hearing this, fuck you._ ’

He heard Bill chuckling from the living room so he guessed he heard his thoughts. Annoyed and irritated, still fearful and confused though, he stomped up the stairs and into his room, grabbing some change of clothes and storming to the bathroom. He slammed the door shut, feeling worked up. He took off his shirt, hoodie and jeans. 

Dipper took in a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror above the sink. He froze when he saw how purple his neck looked. His eyes widened when he saw finger-shaped bruises on his skin. All around his body, on his chest all the way to his stomach and his shoulders all the way to his upper arms, he saw multiple bruises, large and small, like he had been beaten up. 

Dipper’s eyes landed on his arm where Bill had gripped minutes ago. It was already blooming purple. Dipper could see the shadows of those fingers, sharp and crisp in purple. Dipper only had to skim his fingers over the bruises and it became sore. He didn’t dare to look at his legs. He just knew they were bruised too. 

_What_ the fuck was Bill _doing_ to him?

Dipper felt anxiety thrumming through his veins. He had so many questions to ask but for the first time in his life, he was too _scared_ to ask. He sighed. Since when had he been a coward? He became angry. How _dare_ Bill tried to make him act weak and cowardly? He’d show that stupid piece of shit. 

Dipper pushed himself away from the sink and went to shower, taking care not to irritate his bruises. When he changed into a pair of loose pyjama pants and a baggy black t-shirt, he opened the door and walked out, running his hand through his semi-wet hair. 

He touched his stomach but knew he wasn’t hungry. He had no appetite. He just wanted to sleep and forget about today. He wanted to wake up tomorrow morning with everything back to normal. He wanted to call Mabel and hear her voice. His heart clenched tight as he walked to his room, closing the door shut and walking to his bed. 

Dipper slumped on his bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling worse than before emotionally. He felt pathetic and he _hated_ being weak. He turned on his side to stare at nothing, letting the darkness to cover him. He didn’t even make a move to drag the blankets over himself despite it starting to feel cold. 

If he was lucky, maybe he’d freeze or something so he didn’t have to face that demon again. 

The bed dipped beside him and Dipper froze when he felt a gloved hand touching his shoulder, turning him to lie on his back. Dipper scowled when he met with an amused gold eye, hovering above him. 

“Sleepy already, Pine Tree?” Bill asked. 

Dipper thinned his lips. “What do you want? Here to ruin my sleep too?”

“Tempting,” Bill said as he tilted his head to one side. “Want a nightmare? I can make a special one just for my favourite meatsack!”

Dipper’s temper almost snapped as he pushed Bill away, watching in satisfaction as the demon, took off guard, fell off the bed. “Fuck you.”

Bill laughed as he got back on the bed, this time he sat cross-legged next to Dipper. “Now, Pine Tree, is that any way to thank the demon who healed you?” 

“ _Healed_ me?” Dipper yelled, a growl got caught in his throat. “You hurt me more than healed me! Have you forgotten you _can’t_ hurt me? I have fucking bruises everywhere, Bill! What the hell is going on?”

“Shh, too many questions,” Bill said as he waved one gloved hand. “You’re way _too_ curious, kid. You might find yourself dead because of it one of these days.”

Dipper felt cold at that. 

He knew that was a warning. 

And he was _done_. 

“Fuck you, leave me alone,” Dipper snapped, turning his back facing Bill and curled to the other edge of the bed. He heard Bill hum but the demon didn’t reply. A hand touched his head and before Dipper could once again snap at him, heaviness washed over him. Not a heaviness of dread, but of sleepiness. His muscles relaxed, the pain, ache and soreness vanished and his mind blanked. A blissful feeling covered every inch of his body. 

His eyes, involuntarily, slipped closed. Dipper tried to fight against it, to demand what Bill was doing to him now, but he couldn’t. Not when his body wouldn’t cooperate with him. He sighed as the darkness pulled him under for the second time today, a voice echoed in his mind like a pulse of light before it died away, consumed by the darkness. 

‘ _Sleep_.’

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. 
> 
> A/N: Hah...hahaha. So, some of you have expressed confusion about Bill. Truthfully, this dorito is a confusing being/demon. Hence, it's safe to say, he is confusing to understand. But hopefully, **hopefully** , everything will be explained as the story progresses. Heh. Thank you so much for the support as always! Thank you to those who have read, commented, subscribed, bookmarked and gave this story a kudos. Let me know what you guys thought and until next chapter~! -Krystal

 

 

Dipper was somewhere. He wasn’t sure where but he was somewhere. His boots made crunching noises with every step he took and there was a breeze, cold and salty, against his face. It was calm here—making him smile. He felt happy. 

And then everything around him shattered. Blackness engulfed the soft blue light, everything around him disappeared. Dipper’s eyes widened, no longer feeling calm and relaxed. Instead, he felt frightened and on his guard. Two claws reached out to him from the darkness, like a limb being pushed through black goo, dripping wet. 

One touched his shoulder while the other touched his cheek, dragging its claws down his face. Laughter echoed around him, evil and dark. Dipper couldn’t move, couldn’t scream. 

That was when a loud voice boomed everywhere around him, deafening his ears. 

‘ _Wake up!_ ’ 

And Dipper gasped awake. 

He sat up, taking in sharp breaths. His body shook. The image of the claws burned into his mind and he clutched his head, trying to make sense of what happened. He stared at his blanket-clothed knees for a while before he blinked, realising that something was off. 

Dipper’s heartbeat slowed down to normal. The nightmare melted away to the back of his mind. Dipper looked up from his lap, looking around his empty room. The room was airy and the atmosphere in here was calm and quiet. Light came through the windows and bathed the entire room.

Dipper continued to survey his room before he frowned. 

“Bill?” he said. 

Was yesterday…nothing more than a nightmare?

His frown deepened. He tossed the blanket off his body and got out of bed, stretching upwards before he settled back on his feet. Dipper felt great today, no aches anywhere, no pain suddenly shooting up his spine. Nothing. 

He rolled his shoulders as he contemplated why something didn’t feel right. He walked out of his room, looking at the empty hallway before he headed to the bathroom. He closed the door before his reflection caught his attention. He took a step towards the mirror, his right hand lifted without him realising, touching the cool plane of the mirror. 

He didn’t look hurt. He didn’t look beaten up. In fact, he had colour on his face and his eyes were shining brightly. Dipper took a step back, taking in a sharp breath. He pulled his shirt until his chest was visible, placing a hand flat on his stomach. 

There were no bruises. 

His neck didn’t have any purplish blackish finger-prints imprinted on them. In fact, it looked like his body was never bruised. Dipper dropped the edge of his shirt so it settled back on his hip. He tilted his head to the left and right, confused. 

So, Bill wasn’t here?

What was going on? 

Dipper pushed his fringe upwards to look at the constellation that was his birthmark. 

It was still there and if he concentrated enough, he could still feel Bill’s gloved fingers grazing it. He huffed a breath, dropping his hand on the edge of the sink, gripping it tight. He furrowed his eyebrows. 

Dipper also remembered how the demon did something to him last night. Whatever Bill did, it made him sleepy and unable to argue with him.

“Maybe it was a dream,” Dipper contemplated, shivering slightly at how vivid the dream was, _if_ it had been a dream. “Maybe I should cut down my adventuring for a while.”

After a second, he shook his head. If he didn’t do any adventuring, he wouldn’t be Dipper Pines; the careless younger Pines who sometimes was too stupid to know which was too dangerous or which was too suicidal. Dipper chuckled, running a hand through his messy bed hair. 

“Oh well,” Dipper whispered to himself, eyeing himself one last time in the mirror before he went ahead to do his usual morning routine. 

By the time he had changed into fresh clothes, he still hadn’t seen Bill. He was beginning to get convinced that everything that happened was just in his mind. But why had he thought about Bill all of a sudden after so long? It wasn’t like Dipper liked the demon. Why would he dream about it? Him? 

Dipper jogged down the stairs and hesitated to enter the living room. 

If it was all in his head, then the living room should be just how he left it before he went out and his phone shouldn’t be smashed. While holding his breath, Dipper stepped into the living room, releasing it when he looked at its state. 

Everything was at its place. There was nothing broken, nothing missing, nothing misplaced. Even the snow globe that Dipper remembered broke into pieces was on the shelf, unharmed. Dipper’s eyes landed on the couch and saw that his phone was there, unbroken. Dipper grabbed his phone and searched for the call log. 

_If_ it all had been in his mind, then there shouldn’t be any call log recorded when he called Mabel either. Before he could press on the log, Mabel called him. Dipper answered it immediately, smiling when he heard his sister’s voice. 

“Dipper!” she said. “Oh, thank God you answered!”

“Hi, Mabel,” Dipper said. “What’s up?”

“What… _what’s up_?” she screeched. Dipper winced at the volume, frowning. “Dipper, what happened yesterday? You said you needed my help and then the line got cut off! I was so worried, Dippin’ Dop!”

Dipper’s chest tightened. 

“W—What?” Dipper said. “I called you?”

“Yes!” Mabel said. “Dipper…is everything alright?”

“I…,” Dipper began and then stopped, remembering how blank Bill’s face had been, his claws forming out of nowhere threateningly wrapped around his ankle, warning him to keep his mouth shut. 

Had it been real then?

“I’m not sure,” Dipper decided to say at the end. It was the truth after all. He wasn’t sure what was happening. “I guess…I might have sleep dialled or something.”

“Sleep…dialled,” Mabel said, sounding confused. “Okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Mabel,” Dipper said, chuckling. “I’m fine.”

“Okay,” Mabel said, voice quiet. “If there’s something wrong, you’d tell me, won’t you?”

“Of course!” Dipper assured her. “I’m fine, really!”

“Alright,” Mabel said, still sounding unsure. “Alright, fine, if you say so.”

Dipper smiled at that. 

They talked for a little while longer before Mabel had to leave. Dipper pocketed his phone before going back to stare at the living room. So, yesterday wasn’t a dream. Then, how was it possible that nothing seemed out of place? Dipper even felt energised and healthy. 

Dipper scratched his head as he walked to the kitchen to grab something to eat. He sighed when he realised that his Grunkles had no food stocked anywhere. They probably thought Dipper could buy his own food. Dipper shrugged. He guessed he would find something to eat in town. 

He walked out of the Mystery Shack, making sure the door was locked and jogged down the porch stairs. His boots made a thump sound as he landed on the ground. He placed his hands on his hips and took in a deep breath. 

Dipper looked around, his eyes searching for the demon but not being able to find him anywhere. He was still confused and unsure of what to believe in. It was like his reality got mixed up and he was somewhere in between planes of reality. It made him feel unbalanced and he hated it. 

He was about to take a step to leave the Mystery Shack when he felt compelled to walk to the forest. Dipper hesitated but the longer he stayed at where he was, the stronger he felt the urge to head into there. Dipper patted his stomach and walked to the forest, the tug in his mind grew weaker with each step. 

Dipper froze when he stood in front of a large gaping hole on the ground where Bill’s statue had once been. He blinked a few times, dread pooling to the pit of his stomach. 

“So, it _wasn’t_ a dream,” Dipper said. 

“Nope!”

Dipper yelped, turning around and taking a step back. Leaning against a tree opposite of him was Bill, dressed a bit differently from yesterday. His jacket was missing and the sleeves of his white long-sleeved shirt were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his tan muscled arms. Dipper’s eyes immediately fell on a tattoo, inked gold and black on Bill’s right forearm. 

“What’s that?” Dipper asked, frowning as he pointed at it. He looked up and took another step back when Bill’s face was blank like it had been yesterday when he was about to sink his claws into his ankle. He flinched when Bill straightened up. 

“What does it look like?” Bill asked, leaning forward a bit before the blankness disappeared and a big grin formed on his face. “Cool, right?”

Dipper was unsure of how to react to that. So, he didn’t. 

“Uh,” Dipper said before he shrugged.

Bill chuckled and then, he was silent. Dipper glanced at him again to note that Bill was tilting his head backwards and staring up. Dipper followed his gaze but looked away immediately when his eyes burned from the bright sunlight falling through the gaps between the leaves. 

“So, it seems like it worked!” Bill said, breaking the silence. Dipper looked to the ground, wondering what he meant by that. “I meant you came here when I told you to.”

Dipper’s eyes widened and snapped his gaze to look at him. “ _What_?”

Bill grinned wider. “I told you to come here, Pine Tree. And you did! So, it worked!”

Dipper was becoming uneasy with what Bill was telling him. “You mean…that _feeling_ is _you_ telling me to come here?”

“Yeap!” Bill said, rolling his weight on his feet, swinging back and forth. Dipper frowned. 

“Are you controlling me?” Dipper demanded, anxiety burning through his veins. “Bill, I told you—”

“I’m not _controlling_ you, yeesh!” Bill said, waving a hand at Dipper. It was then Dipper realised that Bill wasn’t wearing any of his gloves either. His golden hair was messier too, like he had been running his fingers through his hair over and over. Bill’s golden eye gleamed and narrowed before he said, “What are you staring at me for, Pine Tree?”

Dipper immediately averted his eyes to the ground, his cheeks reddening. “Nothing,” Dipper mumbled. “Wait, so if you aren’t controlling me…”

“Kid, just relax, will ya?” Bill said but he sounded giddy. That didn’t sit well in Dipper. He could just feel that Bill was about to do something he hated. He just had this inkling and—

An arm looped around his hip and a hand touched his chin, tilting his head backwards until he was forced to meet the golden eye. There was a smirk on his lips. Dipper’s eyes widened, his breath hitching in his throat. 

“W…What the fuck—” Dipper started but was stopped when the smirk widened. 

“You find me attractive, don’t you, Pine Tree,” Bill said. Dipper’s red face burned even more. He gritted his teeth as he glared at the tall demon. 

“Who would find _you_ attractive?” Dipper scoffed. “You’re a demon!”

Bill leaned forward, their noses close to brushing and Dipper pulled away from the grasp on his chin. Bill wasn’t even holding him tightly, Dipper realised when the grip around his waist loosened the more he struggled. It was like the demon wasn’t trying to keep him trapped against him.

It perplexed him but at the same time, he was grateful. 

“I’m hurt,” Bill said as he let him go. Bill placed a hand on his chest and made a dramatic wail. “I made this body for you, kid!”

Dipper’s blush worsened as he took another step back from the weird demon. Yesterday, he had been acting cruel and mean and today he sounded as if he was… _joking_. 

“Cut the bullshit, Bill,” Dipper growled, startling Bill. “Don’t try to act like you have emotions and feelings. Like you can _feel_. You’re nothing but a demon. All you want is pain and misery.”

Bill dropped his hand to his sides, staring at Dipper before his smirk sharpened. His golden eye clouded with something dark and mean like it had been yesterday. Dipper took another step backwards, fear crawling back into his chest. 

“Yes,” Bill said, nodding as he shoved his hands in his trousers pockets. “You got that right. And you know what I feel like doing right now?”

He took a step towards Dipper causing the man to take a step backwards and that pattern continued until Dipper realised he was standing at the edge of the hole. If he took another step back or leaned backwards a bit too much, he would fall right into the hole. His heart started to beat wildly against his chest. His mind blanked when Bill took one final step in front of him. 

They were standing too close for Dipper’s comfort. His shoulders tensed when Bill took one hand out of his pockets to touch Dipper’s fringes. His fingers, Dipper couldn’t help but to notice, were long. They weren’t bony and ugly. They looked delicate and strong at the same time with well-manicured nails. 

He heard Bill snicker and Dipper’s ears reddened from the embarrassment. 

He slapped Bill’s hand away from his fringe, looking away as he hastily covered his forehead with his hands. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice low. It made Dipper’s stomach flip in a way that he refused to admit. He shifted his weight one foot to the other, keeping his eyes firmly planted on a tree on his right. His eyes fluttered closed when he felt fingers grazing down his cheek before darting to touch his bottom lip. 

“What are you doing, Bill?” Dipper asked as he opened his eyes to look at the demon, eyes widening when the point of their noses met. “B— _Bill_?”

Bill grinned, deadly. “I want to _hurt_ you, Pine Tree,” he said, his voice like molten lava. “Hurt you and put you back together before taking you apart again.”

Dipper made a weird noise at the back of his throat, hating how his nerves felt alive from just hearing those words. He was sure Bill knew what he was doing. He was about to snap and bite Bill’s fingers off when something equally embarrassing happened.

His stomach growled. 

_Loudly_. 

It echoed throughout the forest, breaking the weird air between them. 

Before Dipper could make an excuse, Bill started to laugh, falling to the ground as he clutched his stomach. Dipper dropped his hands to his sides, glaring at the demon. Bill laughed and laughed, tears threatening to fall from his eye. His hair was messed up even more as he curled on the ground, trying to breathe. 

Dipper decided enough was enough and walked over Bill’s body, continuing his way out of the forest. He heard Bill calling for him, still laughing. But Dipper ignored him, his shoulders shaking from resisting the urge to kick Bill. 

He couldn’t believe what happened!

Dipper sighed, biting his bottom lip. His cheeks warmed when he remembered Bill’s fingers—

_No_. 

_Stop_.

Fucking asshole. Dipper was going to find a way to exorcise his demon ass back to Hell or wherever he came from if that was the last thing he’d do!

“Pine Tree,” Bill said as he caught up to Dipper, easily matching Dipper’s hurried strides. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. All of you meatsacks are born embarrassing anyway!”

“I _will_ kick you, Bill,” Dipper growled. “Don’t think I won’t.”

Bill chuckled, sounding breathless. “ _Phew_!” Bill said. “That was almost as funny as you being in pain!” After a second, he said, “No, I think you being in pain is still more hilarious!”

“Just shut up,” Dipper mumbled. Bill, surprisingly, stopped. Instead, he whistled. It was the same whistle Dipper heard yesterday. Only this was a different tune. Dipper listened closely to it, his tensed shoulders relaxing at the soft tune. Huh, that tune sounded a bit too soft for someone like Bill. 

_Speaking of soft_ , Dipper thought as he brought one hand to touch his neck. His bruises were healed. _Did Bill…?_

“And if I did?” Bill said, his voice jolted Dipper out from his thoughts. “If you don’t want to be healed, it’s fine. I’ll just bring the bruises back.”

“No!” Dipper said, turning to look at him. “It’s just…what did you do to me last night?” 

Bill rubbed the back of his head. “Jeez, kid,” Bill said, sounding irritated. “I hurt you, you complain. I heal you, you complain. Just what the fuck do you want?”

“I want you to fucking answer my questions, Bill!” Dipper exclaimed as he stopped walking to stare at Bill. “Why did you need my mind? Why did you heal me? What’s with you in a Human body? _What_ the hell are you doing to me?”

Bill stopped walking as well, turning to look at Dipper with the same blank face that Dipper was starting to hate. It usually meant that Dipper was going to get hurt or be harassed in some way. This time though, he didn’t move away or flinch. He stayed where he stood, staring dead into the golden eye, challenging him. 

Bill grinned then, his golden eye was filled with something dark. His sharp teeth were showing and his fangs were more pronounced. That made Dipper’s blood run cold. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice icy. “If I answer you, I’d have to _kill_ you.”

Dipper felt his throat going dry at that, especially when he knew somehow that Bill wasn’t joking. Bill turned around and continued to walk away. Dipper stood there, dumbfounded, staring at Bill’s retreating back. He sighed after a while, his knees becoming weak as he crouched down. He rubbed his hair with his hands and clutched it tight, unsure of what was happening. 

What was wrong with Bill? 

After a while, he got up and walked out of the forest. He couldn’t find Bill anywhere. He must have disappeared again, so Dipper walked to the town to find Greasy’s Diner like he had planned, stomach clenched tight. 

 

***

 

Greasy’s Diner hadn’t changed all that much since ten years ago. Lazy Susan still worked there too, but she doesn’t take as many shifts as she used to. Dipper walked into the diner, picking a table and sitting down, plopping his forehead on it. 

A waitress came to take his orders and Dipper went back to moping. He knocked his knuckles on the table a few times as he tried to figure out what to do with Bill and how to get the answers to his questions without getting himself killed. 

A leg knocked his under the table causing Dipper to sit up straight. He blinked and stared right into an amused golden eye. Bill was sitting opposite of him, an arm on the table and the other cradled his face. 

“What?” Dipper snapped, irritated. “Can’t leave me alone here, either?”

Bill looked even more amused than before. 

“Kid,” Bill said, his voice chirpy. “I’m surprised you’re not working as a comedian. You’re hilarious!”

“Yes, you’ve told me that a few times already,” Dipper said as he placed his face on the table again. 

“What’s wrong, Pine Tree?” Bill said, not one ounce of concern in his voice. In fact, he sounded even more chirpy. It grated Dipper’s nerves like nothing ever did. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Dipper gritted out, his words muffled. “A stupid demon came out of nowhere and ruined my life.”

Bill laughed. 

Dipper scowled. 

Dipper propped his chin on the table and stared at Bill. The demon stared back, a smile on his lips. Dipper blinked at that smile. It softened Bill’s features. And the way his golden hair looked perfect on his head even when messy, Dipper had to admit. Bill made an attr—

“I _knew_ you found me attractive, kid,” Bill said, his smile turned into a knowing grin. Dipper grumbled and looked away, his face heating up.

“What did you mean anyway?” Dipper mumbled, casting a glance at Bill, already too tired to snap at Bill for now. Maybe he would get back to plotting Bill’s demise after breakfast.

“Good choice, kid,” Bill said, mockingly. “You meatsacks need sustenance to act less moronic after all.”

“Bill,” Dipper said. “What did you mean when you said you made that body for me?”

Bill hummed, his golden eye sharpened and brightened. “I know how you like your men to look like, Dipper.”

Dipper sat up straight, eyes wide. He spluttered out, “I’m not gay!”

Bill snorted. “You meatsacks and your labels.”

“I’m not into boys, Bill,” Dipper said. Bill rolled his eye. “I’m _not_!”

Bill placed both hands on the table and stood up before he leaned close to Dipper. Dipper tried to move back but he couldn’t put any more distance between them when the back of his head smushed against the cushion of his seat. Bill’s face was now close to his. Dipper’s heart raced in his chest and his face reddened. 

His breath hitched. 

He clenched his fingers into fists and brought them on his lap. 

His eyes were wide and searching the golden eye. Bill smiled, smugly. 

“I can _hear_ your thoughts, Pine Tree,” Bill said, his warm breath hitting Dipper’s face. Dipper closed his eyes, the warmth washing over him made him shiver. His stomach fluttered like there was a swarm of butterflies inside. A soft hand nudged his chin forcing Dipper to open his eyes again. “ _You_ find me _attractive_.”

Dipper’s eyes fell down to Bill’s lips. 

_What. The. Fuck._

Bill pulled away and immediately, whatever warmth that Dipper felt disappeared. He felt oddly cold and it made him shiver in a different way than before. Bill continued to look smugly at him. Dipper found that he couldn’t look at Bill after that, opting to stare at his table as his heart kept its fast pace and his face remained feeling hot. 

He had _no idea_ what happened. 

“Just admit it, Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice light. “You’re attracted to me.”

“Fuck you and shut up,” Dipper snapped just when the waitress came with his food. Bill hid his grin behind the back of his hand while the waitress gave Dipper a weird look. Dipper gave her a weak smile before he glared at Bill. He stabbed his pancake with his fork and shoved one forkful into his mouth. 

Bill continued to look at him with a knowing grin. 

Dipper wasn’t _gay_. No matter what Bill was saying. The demon was trying to confuse and manipulate him anyway. Dipper wasn’t going to be fooled. 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: Ihavenoideawhatthefuckishappeningsopleasedon'tkillmeokay? With that said! Haha, I like how almost all of you are like 'Bill wtf is wrong with you man? PMS-ing much?' and I can relate because I have no idea what I'm doing with Bill either. Again, he's a pretty difficult character to write so I try to keep true to his canon nature as much as possible. Note: As much as possible meaning I'm trying and I'm probably failing. Heh. Anyways, thank you guys so much for all the support! I know I say this every chapter but it's still the truth. Thank you to those who have read, commented, subscribed, bookmarked and gave this story a kudos! Please let me know what you thought about this chapter and until next chapter~! -Krystal

 

 

Bill disappeared after breakfast. The demon hadn’t gotten anything to eat and he remained silent while Dipper ate. It left Dipper’s mind boggled. Just what was the demon trying to do? He didn’t understand what was happening and he was so curious. 

He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked up the stairs to his room, closing the door shut with a kick of his foot. Dipper rubbed his eyes and walked to his desk, all his papers were neatly arranged, untouched. Dipper pulled his chair from under the desk and sat on it. He leaned closer to the desk and realised that the dent in the wall from yesterday was gone too. 

Bill had fixed everything up. 

Why?

He huffed his breath and leaned into his chair, bringing one leg up against his chest. He touched his neck and dropped his hand on his lap, frowning. 

And then there was that sudden weirdness this morning about being attracted to him. Dipper flushed, shaking his head. He placed a hand on his face before he pinched his cheek. 

There was no way he was attracted to that triangle. Dipper sighed. Just what did Bill meant when he said he made the body for him? Why would it matter if he made a body for him? Why for him though? Dipper had never thought of a boy or a man in that way before. He had always been in love with girls. There was no way even Bill would change his mind about that— _especially_ Bill.

But…

Dipper noted that he had almost admitted to himself that Bill made an attractive Human. A shiver ran down his spine, making him pale and sick and yet, flustered at the same time. He stood up, taking in a deep breath, feeling restless. 

Just what was Bill trying to do?

Dipper rubbed a hand down his face. 

The door banged open, startling Dipper. He turned around, freezing when he saw Bill grinning. 

“There you are!” Bill said, walking into the room before he headed to the bed. He slumped on it before lying flat on the mattress, arms and legs splayed wide. Dipper blinked at him before he rolled his eyes, sitting back down on his chair. 

“What do you want?” Dipper asked, looking at him. Bill turned his head to meet his eyes, a smirk crawling on his lips.

“Hey, Pine Tree,” Bill said. “Come here.”

Dipper scoffed. “Yeah, rig—”

There was a sudden tug in the back of his mind. Dipper’s eyes widened when he felt the same compulsion he felt this morning washing over him, urging him to go to the bed. His face reddened, realising what was happening. He gripped his desk tight, knuckles turning white, anger rushing through his veins. He glared at Bill, who was lying on his side, one elbow propped up to support his head, his smirk widening. 

“Bill,” Dipper gritted out. 

“Come here,” Bill said. 

“ _Don’t_ ,” Dipper said, the compulsion becoming stronger. His heart started to race in his chest, his skin itching. “Don’t, Bill.”

Bill only chuckled. “Don’t make this difficult. I’m not going to do anything to you, kid. Just come here.”

“Why?” Dipper exclaimed, clenching his jaw and scooting closer to the desk so he wouldn’t be able to get up. “Why do I feel like you’re controlling me?”

“I’m not,” Bill said, sounding bored. “You’re just not used to the connection yet.”

“C— _Connection_?” Dipper said, frowning. Dipper glanced at him, noticing that Bill’s looking at him with a blank face. God, he _hated_ that face. “Don’t look at me like that every time I ask a goddamn question!”

“Just come here,” Bill said with a sigh. 

Dipper growled under his breath and stood up, stomping to where Bill was. He stood near the bed, crossing his arms across his chest. The tugging sensation disappeared, making him able to breathe properly. He glared at the demon, who had once again lied on his back, staring at him with a grin. 

“Now, is that so bad?” Bill said. “Sit down.”

Dipper sat at the edge of the bed, turning his body to face the demon. “What now?” 

Bill didn’t answer him, instead, continued to look at Dipper with a pleased look on his face. Dipper started to feel uneasy, sneering at him. 

“What connection are you talking about?” Dipper asked, breaking the silence. 

“What connection?” Bill asked, blinking. Dipper frowned.

“You said I’m not used to the connection yet,” Dipper elaborated. “What connection are you talking about?”

Bill yawned and threw an arm across his face. “I’m tired, kid. Get lost.”

“W—What? You’re the one who asked me to sit here,” Dipper protested. “The least you can do is explain to me what that was!”

“I don’t _need_ to do _anything_ ,” Bill said, his voice tight. He lifted his arm from his face a bit to look at Dipper with his sharp golden eye. “I’m tired. This stupid body needs rest. Get lost.”

Dipper clenched his fingers into fists, standing up. “You know what, asshole? Take your attitude and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine.” 

Dipper was about to turn around and walk away when Bill grasped his wrist, his fingers tight. Dipper took in a sharp breath, eyes widening. He stood there frozen for a minute before he was pulled back on the bed. He sat down at the edge, his cheeks beginning to heat up. 

He tried to shake Bill’s warmer fingers from his wrist but the demon only squeezed it in response. 

“ _Yeesh_ ,” Bill said, his voice exhausted. Dipper looked at him then, surprised at how tired the demon looked. For the first time since this all started, Bill looked worn out. His golden eye was dim, not shining as brightly when he was angry or happy. His whole body was slumped on the bed in a way that screamed that he didn’t want to move. “Stop getting angry at every little thing. It hurts.”

“At every little thing?” Dipper snapped. “Oh yeah, sure, blame me for getting angry when you wouldn’t even tell me what the fuck—”

A hand touched his chin, grasping it with a thumb and forefinger before he was forcefully dragged down. Dipper placed one hand against the bedsheets to stop himself from slamming his head against Bill’s from the force. His eyes were wide and his skin reddened even more when Bill’s nose touched his, the golden eye looking a bit brighter. He still looked really tired though. The hand on his chin left to touch his cheek before he brushed the hair from the human’s forehead. Dipper was frozen, his face hovering above the demon’s. 

Bill then huffed an amused breath. It fanned his bottom lip making Dipper flinch. But he still didn’t move away, a trickle of curiosity bloomed in his chest and made him stay where he was.

“You curse quite a lot for just a kid,” Bill said. “I mean it, stop getting annoyed and angry at every little thing. My head hurts. You meatsacks are so useless.”

“What?” Dipper said, his voice coming out barely a whisper. Bill yawned before he shoved his fingers through Dipper’s hair, combing it back. 

“Just shut up,” Bill said, his eye closing. “You’re more trouble than what its worth.”

And then, he was dead to the world.

The hand fell from his hair on top of the demon’s chest. Bill was breathing deeply, his whole body slack on the bed. Dipper made a weird noise at the back of his throat and pulled away, breathing harshly. His whole face felt like it was on fire. He stood up and ran out of the room, closing the door behind him, his mind a mess. 

What was that? Why was Bill acting like that? He was so used to the evil, mean side of him and for him to suddenly—

Dipper touched his hair, running his fingers through them, remembering how Bill’s fingers felt when he did the same. He leaned against the door, taking in a few shuddering breaths. He touched his chest, his heart beating fast against his chest. It didn’t make sense why he was feeling this way. 

And what did Bill meant with connection? What connection? 

Dipper tilted his head back. 

Bill did something to his mind and whatever it was, it made some kind of connection between them. He had to find out what it was. He pushed himself from the door, deciding that the closest answers he could find was probably in Grunkle Ford’s lab. 

With that thought, he hurried away from the door, jogged down the stairs and to Grunkle Ford’s lab. 

He took in a deep breath as he neared his Grunkle’s table. He didn’t have to search for long before he found the books he could use. The books documented demons and their rituals. He gathered a few of them and decided to head to the living room to read. He wasn't allowed to go into the lab anyway and it would be bad if Grunkle Ford found out he was in here. 

Dipper hummed. Not that he would find out if Dipper didn’t tell him but still. 

It was better to be safe than sorry. 

Dipper balanced four of the books he found regarding demons and walked to the living room. He placed them on the coffee table before slumping on the couch. He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the stairs to make sure that Bill wasn’t going to come down. 

Once he was sure that nothing weird was going to happen, he took the first book he could reach and opened it to the first page. He looked through the index but he couldn’t find any topics on ‘mind-connection’ that Dipper wanted so he skimmed the entire book instead. 

A thought entered his mind, causing him to pause for a minute. He looked up from his book to stare at the blank screen of the television. 

Why was Bill sleeping?

He was a demon. A dream demon at that. 

Why was he so exhausted and sleeping? 

God, there was so many questions he needed answers to and he hoped that these books had something useful in them.

Dipper looked back to the book in his hands, flipping through each page after scanning through them. After a few minutes, Dipper tossed the book next to him, his eyebrows furrowed in slight frustration. That book was a bust. It talked nothing but demons and their hierarchy which wasn’t what Dipper was interested in. 

Dipper pushed himself forward a bit to pick another book. He flipped through the first few pages before he skipped each chapter, deciding that this book was not helping either. He tossed that next to him too. He huffed a breath in disbelief. None of the first two books were helpful in the least. What were they even used for, he wondered. 

Dipper was about to pick the third book when he heard the doorbell ring. Dipper stood up from the couch and headed to the door, opening it wide to come face to face with—

“Dipper!” 

He was engulfed in a strong hug. He laughed and hugged her back tight. 

“Wendy!” Dipper said, pulling away a bit to look in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard you were back in town,” Wendy said, shrugging as she dropped her hands to her sides. “So, I thought to drop by and say hi.”

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Dipper said. 

“Sorry,” Wendy said, smiling sheepishly. “I had a summer internship this year, so.”

“It’s fine,” Dipper said, taking a step away from her, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets. “You look good.”

Wendy blushed a bit but she seemed pleased at the compliment. “How’s Mabel?”

“She’s doing fine,” Dipper said, nodding. “She’s in London right now for a semester exchange program.”

Wendy clapped her hands together once. “Woah, that’s cool, man. And I heard you’re not going to ever go to college.”

“Ah,” Dipper said, rubbing the back of his neck, flustered. “It’s not never. Just, I’m not ready yet. I don’t know what to do besides, you know.” Dipper waved his hand around to his surroundings. Wendy nodded, laughing a bit. 

She ruffled his hair causing Dipper to squawk and take a step back. “Never change, Dipper,” she said. 

“Thanks,” Dipper said, chuckling. “When are you going back?”

“In a few hours,” Wendy said. “Just thought to hang out with you for a bit.”

“Cool,” Dipper said, stepping out of the Mystery Shack, closing the door shut behind him. He briefly entertained the idea of checking up on Bill and making sure he was still asleep but then he tossed that idea away a second later. It wasn’t like he owed Bill anything. 

Dipper shuddered at the memory of Bill’s sharp grin. 

No, no matter what Bill said, Dipper didn’t owe him anything.

He placed a hand on Wendy’s arm. “Let’s go to the town.”

He was about to take step away from the Mystery Shack when he felt a tug in his chest. He froze, his breath hitching in his throat. Dipper thinned his lips, his grip on Wendy’s arm tightened until she pulled away, a frown on her face. Dipper looked at her before he looked over his shoulders at the door. He waited for the compulsion to wash over him but he felt nothing. 

“What’s wrong?” Wendy asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Dipper looked back at her before he cleared his throat, resisting the urge to frown. 

“Ah, nothing,” Dipper said, giving him a weary smile. “I just thought I heard something.”

“Really?” Wendy said. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“Yeah,” Dipper said, his voice trailing off. He made sure to look at the door one last time and when he was confident that Bill didn’t appear out of nowhere, he walked away with Wendy to the town. He touched his chest and knocked it once, wondering what the tug was. 

Was Bill calling for him? 

But that wasn’t it, was it? If not he would have felt compelled to find him but he didn’t. Instead, it was just a tug, just a presence before it disappeared. Huh, maybe it was his imagination. 

He had always been paranoid, it would make sense if it was. 

“You okay, dude?” Wendy said, looking at him with concern in her eyes. Dipper nodded, grinning. He shoved his hands into his jean’s pockets. 

“I’m fine,” Dipper said. “Why?”

“Nothing, it’s just,” Wendy said, her eyes narrowed. “You look spooked out just now.”

_Spooked out is one way to say it_ , Dipper thought in his head. 

“I’m fine,” Dipper assured. “It’s just one hell of a day today.”

“I thought you’re just housesitting,” Wendy said, confusion colouring her voice. Dipper nodded once, beads of sweat forming on his temple. He licked his lips, trying to find a way to lie to her that nothing out of ordinary happened. 

“I am,” Dipper said. “But you know I don’t like sitting in the Shack all day.”

Wendy’s eyes sparkled in understanding. “Right, you like to go exploring.”

“Yeah, I do,” Dipper said, a bit happy that Wendy seemed to remember that about him. 

“That’s cool, man,” Wendy said, swinging an arm across his shoulders. “Let’s go.”

Dipper smiled, ignoring another sharp tug in his chest. It made him feel weird and cautious but he was sure Bill wasn’t calling for him. He just didn’t know what was happening. He focused on spending time with Wendy instead.

 

***

 

He waved Wendy goodbye, chuckling when she promised she would come and visit soon. Dipper took in a deep breath and started to walk back to the Mystery Shack, tilting his head to the sky and noting that the blueness was being replaced with orange and pink colours. 

Dipper frowned, taking out his phone to check the time. He didn’t even realise that it was this late already. He shoved his phone back into his pockets, shaking his head. He wondered if Bill was still sleeping. It felt weird that the demon hadn’t come looking for him yet. 

“What’s going on?” Dipper asked himself. 

He was about to take a turn heading to the Mystery Shack when something moved from the corner of his eyes, catching his attention. Dipper turned to look at the bushes and trees, scanning it. He stopped walking when he saw something rushing past the leaves, stopping for a second and then moving deeper into the forest. 

“Is that…?” Dipper whispered, taking a step towards the forest. He squinted his eyes and leaned his body forward, watching carefully as the creature moved again. Dipper managed to catch a glimpse of the creature’s tail before he gasped. “It is!”

It was the creature he was trying to get a picture of since the start of last year. He could never find that darn thing and now that it was here, right in front of him, he wasn’t going to let that opportunity go. He didn’t have time to grab his camera so he decided to just use his phone. 

It was still better than nothing. 

Dipper hesitated for a second when he realised that the sun was beginning to set. 

It wasn’t safe to enter the forest at night, though. Dipper frowned, feeling slightly disappointed. He didn’t know when he would get this chance again. He bit his bottom lip, debating in his mind for a while as he rubbed his chin. 

“I’ll rush back to the Shack the second I get its picture,” he told himself. 

He couldn’t miss this opportunity. When it moved again, Dipper made up his mind and dashed into the forest. The thing started to run and Dipper chased after it, jumping over rocks and trying to keep it in his sight. When the thing suddenly stopped in an open clearing, Dipper did too. 

He crouched down on the ground, leaves masked himself from the creature. He kneeled on the ground, taking out his phone and opening it to the camera function. He watched quietly, trying not to breathe so harshly since his heart was racing in his chest from the lack of breath. 

Dipper watched as the creature started to stalk around the clearing, making circles over and over. He furrowed his eyebrows, mesmerised by its movement, so slick and graceful. It reminded Dipper of a wild cat but at the same time, it had distinct canine features. Dipper was fascinated to learn that it was probably a hybrid of a canine and a feline as well as something else. 

Dipper raised his phone and focused his camera at the creature. 

“Look here,” Dipper whispered to himself, watching it from the camera on his phone. Then, when the creature turned its head to look straight into the camera, Dipper pressed the button to take its picture. 

It was then Dipper realised with a panicked inhale that his flash had gone off. 

And the creature had noticed him.

_Oh no_. 

Dipper scooted backwards, hoping that thing wouldn’t actually go after him. 

But that hope crashed to the ground when he heard a low guttural sound coming from behind him accompanied by a crunch sound. Dipper stood up and turned around, freezing when he saw another one of the creature stalking close to him. 

Dipper tried to take a step back but he heard another guttural sound coming from both his left and right side. 

With a sinking heart, he realised that he was surrounded by four of these things. 

They were nice to look at but once they spotted a prey, they become feral and angry. They would tear of their prey’s limbs apart within seconds with their sharp claws and teeth. Dipper had a flash of image of his dead body with his own limbs torn out by those creatures and it made his blood run cold. He dropped his phone on the ground when he heard another growl, sounding closer to him. 

Dipper looked around, trying to keep his motions unhurried as to not provoke them. He spotted an escape and took a step towards it, stopping when he heard a warning screech from one of them. If he took another step, there was no doubt that those things would get to him. 

But. 

Dipper took in a deep breath. He glanced at the things and looked at the escape. 

He had to try. 

They weren’t known to be very fast despite their strength, so. 

So.

Dipper dashed. 

Adrenaline shot through his veins and his heart thumped loudly against his chest, ringing in his ears making him deaf from any other sounds. But he was still aware that those creatures were chasing after him. He ran and ran, wind blowing on his face from how fast he was running, pushing leaves and branches off his face. 

He jumped and skipped over rocks and small branches so he could run faster, taking different turns to try and lose them. 

What he didn't expect was for a large log to appear right in front of him. Dipper knew he couldn’t jump over it without his feet getting caught but he really didn’t have the time to stop running and cross over it either.

He did what he usually did when he was in these kinds of predicament. 

He took a leap of faith. 

Dipper sped up and jumped over the log. 

Unfortunately, one of his legs hit the log and he went down to the ground. His chin hit the rocky path, pain shooting down his spine. He landed on his chest losing his breath. His eyes widened when something heavy slammed on his back. He screamed in pain, tears gathering in his eyes from the fear. 

He could feel claws digging into his flesh, tearing past his clothes to reach his skin. He could feel hot breath fanning the back of his neck. His eyes were wide as his breathing hitched, his mind becoming dizzy. He then felt sharp teeth grazing his neck.

Dipper felt fear seizing his muscles up. 

“P—Please, no,” Dipper choked out. “No, no, no.”

He couldn’t die like this. 

He didn’t want to die like this. 

Dipper tried to push the thing off but the creature only sunk its claw into his flesh. The pain that came from that was terrible. It made his vision blackout for a while. The weight on his back increased and he felt like his spine was about to snap into two. 

He didn’t want to die like this. 

He knew he was bleeding, he could feel it pooling around him, warm and wet. 

He was starting to feel cold. 

“Bill… _help_ ,” Dipper said, his voice weak as he tried to keep himself awake from all the pain. “Help me.”

More tears ran down his face, frightened. He would never get to see his family again all because he had been stubborn and stupid. 

“Bill, _please_ ,” Dipper said. “I’m going to die…”

_Bill. Bill, if you can hear me, please, please, please save me I don't want to die you promised to not harm me—_

“I can’t even get some fucking _sleep_ ,” a low voice reverberated through the forest, shocking everything into silence. “ _What_ the fuck are you doing to what’s _mine_?”

Something bright flashed in front of his eyes before he saw a pair of bare tan feet touching the ground. Dipper didn’t even have to glance up at whose feet it was. His body sagged on the ground in relief, his eyes closing. 

“ _Help_ ,” Dipper whispered before he felt sharp teeth clamping his shoulder, sinking deep into his body. The pain sparked so bright in his mind that everything blackened immediately after. He could no longer hold onto the strand of consciousness. It snapped and he was gone. All he registered at the end of his consciousness was how wet everything was. How warm the ground felt and how loud it was before a sharp ringing noise took over and then—nothing. 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE GUYS! Wow, this is the last update for any story for 2017. Tomorrow is New Year's welcoming 2018. Wow. Wow. Wow. I feel old. Sobs. Anyways, here is a New Year's Eve present aka a new chapter! Thank you guys for the awesome support and yay this story reached 100+ kudos already! Woots! You guys rock. <3 Thank you to those who have read, commented, subscribed, bookmarked and to those who have this story a kudos. Let me know what you guys think and until next chapter~! -Krystal
> 
> P.S: Hope you guys had an awesome 2017. Let's welcome the new year with open arms. May all your wishes and dreams come true and may all your hard work bears fruit in 2018. :) 
> 
> _Hush Little Baby, Don’t you cry, I’m gonna slowly take over your life_ — Hush (Halloween Song by Cameron Sanderson)

 

 

Dipper snapped open his eyes, taking in a sharp gasp. 

“W…What?” Dipper breathed out, blinking a few times. He stared at a ceiling, his mind serenely blank. He continued to look at it, furrowing his eyebrows wondering what this sense of wrongness was. He turned his head to the right to realise he was looking at his desk. 

Ah, he was in his room. 

He sighed, closing his eyes. 

He was in his room. 

Something warm was plastered along his side. It was soft and comfy. Dipper snuggled closer to the warmth, trying to remember what it was that was this warm on his bed. Something tightened its grip around his waist and thighs. 

Huh. 

“You awake yet?” a voice whispered in his ear. 

Dipper shivered, opening his eyes. A frown etched on his lips, his breath leaving his lungs when the things that were wrapped around him became tighter even more. Dipper raised a hand and placed it on—an…

Dipper swished his head to look to his left and met with an amused golden eye and a playful grin close to his face. 

Okay. 

Dipper held his breath and continued to stare at him. 

The golden eye blinked slowly, the grin on his handsome face faltered into a confused smirk. 

“Pine Tree?” 

“What…the…fuck?” Dipper breathed out, looking away to the ceiling. 

And that was when everything smashed into his mind. From Bill appearing out of nowhere, to the deal, to the confusion of what was happening with his mind, to Wendy visiting and finally the—

“Bill!” Dipper sat up, heart racing in his chest. Panic thrummed through his veins, trying to take in a few deep breaths. He could still feel its breath against the nape of his neck and the weight on his back. Then, the pain of the bite at the juncture of his neck and shoulder. Dipper touched his neck, dragging his fingers to his shoulders.

It took him a few minutes to realise that he couldn’t feel any pain, he wasn’t in the forest anymore, and he was alive. 

“Done?” Bill asked from next to him. Dipper clenched his jaw to look at Bill, who was lying on his back, his arms folded behind his head and a grin on his face. “Thought I erased your memories by mistake.”

That. Was. It. 

This was all Bill’s fault!

Anger replaced everything and his very thin strand of patience snapped. He was so goddamn tired of everything and it had not even been 48 hours since he met the demon. Dipper turned his body and launched at Bill, whose golden eye widened as surprise coloured it. 

Dipper grabbed the collar of his shirt, straddling him and looming over him.

“Explain,” Dipper said. “I had enough. Explain what the fuck is happening. How the hell am I still alive? Why did you appear the way you did? What’s happening, Bill?”

Bill remained silent, the surprise in his eye melted away to the blankness that Dipper hated. He gritted his teeth tighter, shaking Bill. The demon continued to lie underneath him, unmoving. 

“Answer me,” Dipper yelled. “What are you doing to me?”

Bill licked his lips. 

Dipper looked at him properly, searching his face. But the longer he stayed silent, the more frustrated Dipper became. He pulled his hands away from his shirt, glaring at the demon. 

He tried to get off Bill only to be stopped by a pair of tan hands grabbing his wrists and pulling him back on top of him. Dipper sneered at him, trying to keep the part of his mind that told him that he was straddling Bill at the moment and he shouldn’t really be doing this. 

Bill pushed himself up until he sat against the headboard. He smirked then, a smirk filled with deviousness. Dipper started to twist his wrists so he could pull away but Bill only had to adjust his fingers a bit more before Dipper was completely stuck. 

“What will you give me in return?” Bill asked, tilting his head to the side a bit. More strands of golden hair fell to the side of his face that hid his other eye. Dipper blinked as the sentence settled in his mind before he growled. 

“Nothing,” Dipper snapped. “You owe me answers, Bill.”

Bill’s grip on his wrists tightened until it was hovering at the edge of painful. Dipper winced at that but he didn’t let the slight trickles of fear to show in his eyes or enter his mind. Bill grinned, his teeth sharp. 

“I owe you?” Bill said. “Oh, no no no. That’s now how this works, Pine Tree.” 

He chuckled, looking amused. 

“ _You_ owe _me_ ,” Bill clarified, releasing one wrist to touch Dipper’s jaw. “Every single time I save you, you owe me.”

Dipper’s heart stopped beating a second. “You’re collecting debts from me?”

“Hm, something like that,” Bill said. His fingers cradled Dipper’s face before they pressed against his skin. “So? What do you have to give me in return for the answers?”

He shook Bill’s hand from his face. “How about a punch to your face?”

Bill tossed his head back and laughed. “Funny. Very funny.”

“Let go of me,” Dipper said, starting to struggle. Bill shook his head, his grin widening. 

“Come on, Pine Tree,” Bill said, tracing one finger down Dipper’s cheek to his neck. It made the young man shudder, his stomach fluttering. He slapped the finger away, sharpening his gaze as suspicions aroused in him. Bill looked thoroughly giddy at this. “Surely you have something to give to me in return.”

“I’m serious, I can give you a punch to your face,” Dipper said, knowing full well that he was really going to punch the demon. Bill raised a neatly trimmed eyebrow. 

“Interesting,” Bill said before he shrugged and released Dipper’s other wrist, deciding to place both hands on his hips instead. “But not what I’m interested in.”

Dipper rubbed his wrist and glared. “Fuck you. I’m not giving you anything else! If you won’t tell me, I’ll find someone who will!”

He shoved Bill’s hands off his hip and tried to stand up. Instead of him getting off of Bill, the demon grabbed him and turning them around so Dipper now lied flat on the bed. Hovering between his legs above him was Bill. 

The demon had his forearms pressed against the bedsheets at either side of Dipper’s head. 

“You’re quite a mess up here,” Bill said as he touched Dipper’s hair, brushing them away from his forehead before tapping it twice with his forefinger. 

Dipper placed both hands against Bill’s chest and tried to push him off, yelping when Bill closed their distance even more, easily. Bill’s face was now close to his, their breaths mingled and their noses almost touched. If Bill was any closer, his golden hair would tickle Dipper’s face. 

“Get off me,” Dipper whispered, unsure of why he was doing so. He was suddenly hyperaware of everything. He was aware of Bill’s warmth washing over him, the way his heart beat loudly until it threatened to deafen his ears to the way his face warmed when Bill grinned. 

“Why?” Bill said, feigning innocence. “I think I quite like you here like this beneath me.” 

“B—Bill,” Dipper said, curling his fingers that were still pressed against Bill’s chest and tried to push him off again. 

Bill sighed, a pout on his lips. “Come on, Pine Tree. Give me something in exchange.”

Dipper eyed him warily. “Get off me and I’ll give you a kick instead.”

Bill rolled his eye. “That joke was dead centuries ago. Try again.”

Dipper dropped his hands to his sides, realising that there was no way he could escape. Unless…

He raised one spread leg and pressed it against Bill’s hip. He experimentally nudged him and Bill grinned like a shark. Dipper knew immediately he made a mistake when Bill lowered the bottom half of his body against Dipper’s. 

Dipper began to panic. 

“ _Don’t_ ,” Dipper said. “Don’t, Bill. This isn’t funny.”

“It is,” Bill said, grinning wider. “Seeing you all panicked and flustered is hilarious!”

“You know what? I don’t need to know,” Dipper said, his voice coming out high-pitched when Bill pressed his nose against Dipper’s cheek. The 22-years-old turned his head to the side and closed his eyes tight, trying to keep his breathing normal and failing. “I don’t need to know. Get off me.”

“Hm,” Bill said. “How about a no?”

“ _Bill_!” Dipper yelled. “Get off me!”

Dipper was scared. He didn’t like this. His body tingled in a way that frightened him. He didn’t want this. He wanted Bill to move away. His mind whirled with scenarios that made him sick. He wished he had never walked into the forest. He wished he had stayed in the Mystery Shack. 

He heard Bill sigh before the weight rolled off him. Dipper opened his eyes and saw Bill sitting next to him, cross-legged. Both elbows were pressed against his knees, looking at him with narrowed golden eye. Dipper took in deep breaths, blinking a few times before he huffed in relief. He pressed a hand against his chest and sat up. 

“You’re no fun, kid,” Bill said. Dipper glanced at him before he looked away, deciding to get out of the bed. He walked to the bedroom door and opened it. He heard Bill saying from inside his room, “No fun!”

Dipper was still shaken up from what happened. He rushed down the stairs and jogged out of the Mystery Shack. He was breathing heavily as he reached his car, realising a second too late that he had his car keys inside the Shack. Dipper’s knees gave out on him and he slid to the ground. 

What the hell was that? 

He was so confused and his mind was chaotic. This was the worst visit to Gravity Falls in the past ten years since the last time Bill showed up. If he could, he would have taken the first drive out of here the minute he got the chance. He thumped his forehead against the cool metal of his car. 

Never in his 22 years of living had he been under anybody’s body like that. Especially not a man’s. His fingers shook and he clenched them tight into fists, pressing it against his face. 

A hand touched his hair and he jolted, pulling away from the touch. He turned and landed on his ass, staring up at Bill. 

“Stay away,” Dipper croaked out. “Stay away from me. I mean it this time.”

Bill rubbed the back of his neck, no smile or grin on his face. “Calm down.”

“Fucking shut up,” Dipper hissed, his eyes burning from the frustration and confusion. “Don’t talk to me. Just go away. _Go away_ , Bill. I don’t want you here!”

Dipper saw Bill clenching his jaw. 

“Go away,” Dipper whispered. 

Bill sneered at him, crouching down to look at him in the eyes properly. 

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, Pine Tree,” Bill said, chuckling without humour. “We made a deal. Suck it up and deal with it.”

“You forced my hand to make that deal with you!” Dipper exclaimed, curling his knees against his chest. “Just _go away_.”

Bill remained silent, staring at him with dim golden eye before he looked away, standing up. He glanced at Dipper before he took a step away from him. 

Dipper thinned his lips, watching how Bill disappeared fromhis view. He closed his eyes tight and took in deep breaths. He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. 

“Why?” Dipper breathed out, crossing his legs. “I don’t understand.”

He stayed there in the cold night for a few more minutes before it got too cold for him. He stood up, placing a hand against his car to balance himself. He looked at the place where Bill stood before he disappeared. Dipper just didn’t know what to do with him—about him. 

He decided to go back into the Mystery Shack. He walked into the living room, slumping on the couch. His eyes landed on the books that he hadn’t read yet. He grabbed the third book. 

Why did Bill save him? How had Bill found him?

Dipper was sure he would have died. He sighed. 

He placed the book against his face. 

“Just give me the answers,” Dipper said to himself. “It’s not that hard.”

 

***

 

Dipper sipped his coffee, tired. None of the books he found has the information he needed about his situation. In the end, he had tossed the books to the side and agonised about what he had gotten himself into. He leaned against the kitchen counter, rubbing his eyes. He hadn’t slept a wink since he woke up. He hadn’t seen Bill either. 

Had he really gone away like Dipper told him to?

Dipper hummed.

He didn’t think Bill would actually listen to him. 

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, finishing his coffee. 

He placed the empty mug on the counter, crossing his arms across his chest. 

How had Bill found him in the first place? 

Dipper entertained the idea of what Bill said before he somehow fell asleep. A connection. What connection was he talking about?

Were their minds linked? 

Did that mean he could compel Bill to come and go just like he did to him? 

It had to be right? Dipper remembered him thinking about Bill. He was the only one he could think of when he was about to die. Which brought another matter to light: Why had Bill saved him?

Dipper huffed a breath. Most probably because he needed his mind. 

“Bill,” Dipper said. 

Dipper reddened at the thought of what happened a few hours ago. He groaned under his breath. He was so pissed off at that demon. 

He frowned. 

Dipper thought about calling Bill back but then wouldn’t it send the wrong message? Dipper scoffed. Whatever, Bill could go ahead and disappear forever for all he cared. Dipper walked out of the kitchen, jogging up the stairs to head to his bedroom. 

He admitted that he half expected for Bill to be in there but when he wasn’t, Dipper shrugged and went to grab a set of fresh clothes. 

After he had taken a shower and changed, he felt more refreshed than before. He still felt tired but at least it wasn’t as tiring as a few minutes ago. Just as he was about to take a step down the stairs, his phone rang. He looked over his shoulders to where his bedroom was. He sighed and walked back to his bedroom, plucking his phone from the desk. He didn’t remember ever putting it there and he immediately thought of Bill. 

“Weirdo,” Dipper said under his breath. He picked up the call, placing the phone against his ear with a brief, “Hi.”

“Dipper,” Grunkle Stan’s voice filtered through, sounding static. 

“Grunkle Stan?” Dipper said, pulling his phone from his ear to look at the caller ID. “This isn’t your number.”

“Ah, I lost my phone,” Grunkle Stan said, sounding a bit sheepish. Dipper heard another voice yelling in the background. “It wasn’t my fault my phone dropped into the sea, Ford! You were the one who pushed me and it slipped out of my hands, geez!”

Dipper snickered, rolling his eyes as he went to his bed to sit down at the edge. 

“You guys are having fun, huh?” Dipper asked. Grunkle Stan grumbled. 

“Your Grunkle Ford has a stick the size of a branch up his ass, kid,” Grunkle Stan said only for him to yell at something a second later.

Grunkle Ford’s voice filtered through next, “How’s the Mystery Shack, kid?”

“Oh,” Dipper said, licking his lips feeling a bit nervous as the image of Bill appeared in his mind. “It’s…fine.”

“Right,” Grunkle Ford said. “How’s my lab?”

“You told me I wasn’t allowed in there, remember?” Dipper said. 

“You can go in, you’re just not allowed to touch anything,” Grunkle Ford groused. “Make sure it’s secured tight.”

“Oh for the love of,” Grunkle Stan said, coming back. “You better take care of the Shack properly, kid.”

“I am,” Dipper said, smiling. “Where are you both right now?”

“We’re on our way to Europe,” Grunkle Stan said, sounding pleased. 

“Nice,” Dipper said. “Have a great time, Grunkle Stan.”

“Thanks, Dipper,” Grunkle Stan said. “I better go now. I just called to check up on the Shack.”

Dipper rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Grunkle Stan. See you.”

Grunkle Stan made an embarrassed sound before he said goodbye and ended the call. Dipper chuckled and pulled the phone away from his ear. He lied flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling after tossing his phone to the side. 

His good mood quickly dissipated when he recalled of Bill. He knew he couldn’t tell them about him. He wasn’t sure himself if he should if he had the chance. 

He interlaced his fingers and placed them on his stomach. 

He silenced his mind, relaxing himself. He kicked one leg up, swinging it back and forth. The soft swish sounds made him smile a bit. 

“This is how my life’s supposed to be,” Dipper whispered. 

Everything was quiet for a few more minutes and just as Dipper was beginning to start feeling woozy, he heard a loud slam. Dipper shot up sitting, looking straight ahead at the window. That was a loud sound and it came from inside his room. He pushed himself to sit at the edge of his bed, aware of his surroundings. 

“Hello?” Dipper said. But no one answered him. 

Dipper stood up, patting his thighs. He hesitated for a second before he walked to the window. He looked through it and from here he could see the forest. He stared at it before he shook his head. Maybe it had been his imagination. 

As if to retaliate, he heard another slam, this time it came from his desk. Dipper yelped and turned around. His eyes landed on one of his finished journal lying on the ground opened to a random page. Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, his heart pounding in his chest. He walked to it, bending down to pick up the journal. 

The book was opened to a page about the forest. Dipper didn’t think much of it and slammed the journal closed, tossing it on the desk. 

Another slam sounded, not as loud as before. It came from outside of his room. He took in a sharp breath, knowing full well that he shouldn’t be baited to follow the sound. He knew that whatever it was that was slamming things around wanted him to come after it. 

Yet, the adventurous part of himself, the most active part of him became curious. 

Another slam made him move. He wretched open his room door and walked out, still not sure as to what or where the sound was coming from. 

There was another slam coming from downstairs. Dipper knew then that this was a trail. A trail to a trap or something. 

He went downstairs and walked into the living room. 

What he saw next made his heart stop beating for a second. 

On the coffee table, all four books that he had tossed aside were arranged side by side, opened to different pages. And on those pages, there were specific words highlighted in yellow, almost glowing. Dipper took a cautious step towards the coffee table and bent down a bit to read. 

**Come. To. The. Forest.**

Dipper stood up straight, eyes widening. 

He took a step back from it and turned around, deciding _not_ to go to the forest. He almost died twice since he had gone there. 

Dipped stopped at the archway of the living room when he heard a soft fluttering sound coming from behind him. He turned around and saw that the books were arranged in a different order and different pages were opened up. Once again, there were words highlighted, waiting to be read. 

He bit his bottom lip, walking back to the coffee table to read. 

**Your. Answers. Are. There.**

The young Human looked away from the books to around the living room. Answers. His answers were in the forest. 

“Will…my questions really be answered?” Dipper said out loud. 

His eyes landed on the third book to the left as the pages flipped once and a word was highlighted. 

**Yes.**

So, something was communicating with him and it was asking him to go to the forest. He clenched his fingers into fists. The paranoid part of him knew that this couldn’t be possibly true. If Bill wouldn’t answer his questions, it was unlikely any other creatures in Gravity Falls would have the answers either. 

But he was desperate. 

He was really desperate. He wanted to find out what was going on. 

Dipper sucked his bottom lip before he shook his head. Like always, he would just have to take a risk. This time though, he made sure he brought some kind of protective charm with him. He sneaked into Grunkle Ford’s lab and found something to help repel most of the low level creatures. 

Since it was daylight outside, it was also unlikely the most dangerous ones were out. 

Dipper stilled as he remembered the hybrid creature he met the first day he was here. 

Still, it would be best to keep himself safe. 

He took in a deep breath and walked to the entrance of the forest. 

“Alright,” Dipper said. “You better have the answers I need.”

A wind blew at his face and Dipper heard a voice. 

A sweet wispy voice. It beckoned him with promise and safety. 

‘ _Your questions will be answered_.’

He shivered, blinking a few times. With the charm tight in his fist, he was about to take a step into the forest when an arm wrapped around his waist and the other around his chest, dragging him against someone’s body. 

A chin dug into his shoulder. 

“Pine Tree, if I were you I wouldn’t go in there.”

Dipper froze. 

“ _Bill_?” Dipper said. Bill’s chest pressed against his back. 

“You’re _not_ going in there,” Bill said, his voice low and menacing. Dipper blinked at that before he scoffed and started to struggle. Bill only tightened his hold against Dipper, a growl escaped his lips, stilling Dipper completely. “ _Stop_.”

“Bill, what the heck?” Dipper said, his voice quiet. For some reason, he felt like Bill wasn’t going to harm him. No, instead, whatever it was, Bill was trying to stop him from walking to his doom. But…that couldn’t be it, right? “Bill?”

“Remember how I said one day your curiosity is going to be the death of you?” Bill said. 

Dipper’s blood ran cold as he looked into the forest. 

“You mean?” Dipper said. 

“Come on,” Bill said as he released his hold on Dipper before he grabbed the mocha-eyed man’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Dipper staggered as he was dragged back to the Mystery Shack. The wind suddenly picked up speed as it brushed against his face, this time, it didn’t feel as gentle or safe as before. In fact, it felt weird and mean. Almost malicious. 

He looked at Bill. 

“You’re going to die one day,” Bill said, tossing a blank look over his shoulders. “If you keep this up.”

Dipper didn’t say anything else, still too shocked at what was happening. 

‘ _Come back, child. Don’t let that demon fool you_.’

When Bill pulled him harder and Dipper had no choice but to be pulled along even if his wrist started to hurt, the wind continued: _You’ll die if you stay with him, child._

_You’ll die if you believe him._

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: LOL. Uh. Well. I have to stop with Dipper getting into trouble theme, yikes. Anyways, thank you so much guys for the support as always! I hope you guys had an awesome New Year's Eve and had fun celebrating the New Year's. Thank you to those who have read, commented, bookmarked, subscribed and gave this story a kudos. Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and until to the next~! -Krystal
> 
> Also, a shoutout to PeppermintCane requested by Princesa. Hi there! :D

 

Bill dragged Dipper to the living room before he dropped his wrist, turning around to look at the young man. He took a step towards him, grabbing Dipper’s hoodie, dragging him close. 

“Don’t ever go into the forest without me again,” Bill sneered, his golden eye reddening. Dipper’s breath hitched in his throat, curling his fingers into fists. Bill shook him when Dipper remained silent and staring. “Do you understand me?”

“Y—Yeah,” Dipper said. Bill pushed Dipper away, turning his back facing him, running both hands through his golden hair before he scratched and messed it up. Dipper could see Bill’s shoulders tensing, his spine straightening. Dipper licked his lips and looked away, feeling this pang of weirdness in his chest.

“Seriously,” Bill said, sighing, flopping on the couch, his arms and legs open wide. “You’re so much trouble.”

“I just wanted answers, Bill,” Dipper said, looking at the demon. “If you answered my questions, maybe I wouldn’t have to resort to following that voice.”

Bill’s lips thinned, his golden eye that was still red at the edges glowed. “You’re lucky I was watching you, you idiot.”

Dipper rolled his eyes. “Why are you even here? I could have handled it myself just fine.”

Bill tossed his head back and laughed. “You? You almost died _twice_ since I came back. Don’t make jokes now, not when I feel like tearing your limbs myself for acting so fucking dumb.”

Dipper shivered at the cold tone. It washed over him like a bucket of ice water was dumped on him. Dipper sharpened his eyes at Bill, trying not to look intimidated. Bill huffed his breath and looked away, placing one hand on his stomach, drumming his fingers on it. 

“I…I just don’t understand,” Dipper said, at last. “I’m getting so confused and tired of everything. Please just tell me what’s going on.”

“You begging me is nice,” Bill said, smirking. “Beg me some more.”

Dipper’s face reddened, anger rolling into him with vengeance. “I’m so done with you. If you won’t tell me anything, I’ll go back out there.”

Bill’s smirk vanished, his eye now redder. “Try me, Pine Tree. Try and take a step out of here and see what I’ll do.”

“You going to break my legs?” Dipper snapped, surprising Bill. “Going to claw my guts out? Toss my dead body in a ditch? Do it! I don’t care. I feel like I’m going crazy because I have no idea what’s going on and if there’s someone out there who does know, I’m going to listen. Fuck you and whatever you’re thinking.”

He was breathing quite heavily by the time he was done. He hadn’t realised he had been shouting until the sudden silence flooded into the scene. Bill was staring at him with a blank face before he chuckled. He shook his head and stood up. 

“Fine,” Bill said, the redness left and pure gold coloured his eyes. Dipper’s heart stopped beating for a second when the demon smirked. He took a few steps towards the young man, who was rooted on the floor, unsure of what to do. He tensed when Bill touched his face, his forefinger and thumb pinching his chin, tilting it upwards. 

“What are you doing?” Dipper asked. 

“You wanted to know what’s going on, right?” Bill said. “I’ll tell you what’s going on.”

Dipper narrowed his eyes. “You will?” 

Bill’s smirk widened into a grin. “Oh yes, I will.”

“Okay,” Dipper said, blinking once. “Then let me go and take a step away from me. You don’t need to be this close to me.”

Bill hummed, leaning in. That was when alarm bells started to ring in his mind and if Dipper had the time, he would have questioned himself why was it now he was becoming alarmed and not when Bill had touched him. Instead, his mind completely blanked when Bill tugged him closer until their noses brushed. 

“There’s always a _price_ ,” Bill whispered, his hot breath fanned Dipper’s lips. Dipper immediately placed his palms flat on the demon’s chest, trying to push him off. 

“P—Price?” Dipper squawked, his cheeks reddening. “Wait—what—”

“Hey, Pine Tree,” Bill said, his grin became an amused smile. “You haven’t had your first kiss, right?”

The sentence took quite a while to settle in his mind. His face completed reddened, his heart racing in his chest when he realised what Bill was trying to do. It was then Bill pressed his lips against his before Dipper could even gather the strength to struggle. 

His lips were soft and firm against Dipper’s, demanding and powerful at the same time. Dipper didn’t respond, _couldn’t_ respond, not when his whole body felt stiff and stuck. He gasped when Bill pulled away. Dipper’s chest heaved up and down, his eyes wide as he stared at Bill’s lips. 

“Heh,” Bill said with a chuckle, his fingers felt hot on Dipper’s cheek, his jaw cradled in his palm. “Cat got your tongue, Pine Tree? Or a demon perhaps?”

Dipper made a disgruntled noise. 

“Bill, w—”

Bill kissed him again. One arm looped around Dipper’s waist while the other hand readjusted their fingers so Dipper was being pressed against Bill. He curled his fingers on the strong chest, unable to push him away as he squeezed his eyes shut. A sharp nip at his bottom lip made him open his mouth in reflex—and that was a bad move. He keened, eyes snapping wide when Bill shoved his tongue into his mouth.

With one hand, he grabbed the back of Bill’s neck, his fingers slid through the golden hair and clutched it tight in his fist. His body started to feel hot, his heart raced in his chest and he was losing his breath fast. He was hypersensitive of every touch, every slide of the wet tongue into his mouth, mapping every inch of it.

A shiver ran down his spine; something started to coil at the pit of his stomach making his knees weak. Somehow his fingers that clutched the golden hair had begun to brush through them, feeling how soft they were on his fingertips. 

When Bill pulled away, licking a stripe across Dipper’s bottom lip, the young man had to keep a tight hold on the demon, his body shaking. His mind had grown so quiet and blank, unable to process what happened. With his eyes half-closed, he saw Bill grinning, a look of satisfaction washed over his face. 

The fingers that touched his face brushed away some strands of his hair. 

“You should kiss me back, Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice soft and deep, a tone that made Dipper squeeze his eyes closed, his body swaying forward until his forehead pressed against Bill’s chest. He took in shuddering breaths, dizzy. He felt the long delicate fingers running through his brown locks, pulling them a bit when they touched the nape of his neck, sending weird tingles down his spine. 

Something wet touched the lobe of his ear, licking a stripe upwards. Dipper bit his bottom lip, shaking his head to try and clear his mind. 

“Did I do it too much?” Bill said but it sounded like he was talking to himself. “Yeesh, what a virgin.”

“Fuck,” Dipper managed to choke out, the haze starting to vanish. “You!”

Dipper pushed Bill away from him, glaring at the demon who had stumbled back in shock before he fell to the ground on his ass. He looked up at Dipper, blinking once before he chuckled, leaning forward to sit down hunched. 

Bill licked his lips, golden eye sharpening when Dipper’s eyes landed on the tongue that appeared for a second. He snapped his eyes back at Bill’s eyes, taking a step back from him. 

“How was your first kiss, kid?” Bill asked, having the audacity to grin. “Pretty good, huh?”

Dipper didn’t even hesitate to take the first thing he could get his hands on and throw it at the demon. A book smacked face first at Bill. He felt a curl of satisfaction taking root in his chest when he heard a loud yelp coming from the demon. Bill rubbed his nose, throwing the book over his shoulder. 

“If you ever touch me again,” Dipper hissed, his cheeks flushing; still feeling how warm Bill had felt against him. “I will castrate you.”

“Kid,” Bill said, raising one knee against his chest and resting his cheek against it. “Your threats aren’t very scary.”

“Why the hell did you kiss me?” Dipper yelled, confusion and anger washed into him now that everything finally registered in his mind. 

“Well,” Bill said with a shrug, still looking smug. “I need something from you in exchange for what I’m about to tell you.”

Dipper’s heart sank to the bottom of his chest. He had given his first kiss—no, his first kiss had been _stolen_ by a demon! A demon he despised! That thought was more than enough for Dipper to sit on the ground with a plop, miserable. He placed his face in between his hands, resisting the urge to just bawl his eyes out. 

“I didn’t ask for this,” Dipper whispered. “Why is this happening to me?”

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, sounding close. Dipper dropped his hands to stare at the demon, who was sitting in front of him, their knees almost bumping against each other. Bill reached to touch Dipper’s hair and the human immediately stood up, swinging his left foot so it connected with Bill’s shoulder, sending the demon sprawling on the floor with a loud thud. “ _Ouch_.”

Dipper’s anger reignited when Bill only grinned, a happy look in his eye. 

“Kick me again,” Bill said. “It feels good.”

Dipper made a disgusted look, raising his foot to stomp on the demon’s stomach only to be stopped by Bill sitting up suddenly, wrapping his long tan fingers around Dipper’s ankle and tugging him down. Dipper wobbled and placed his hands on the demon’s shoulders when he dropped to the ground on his knees, hovering over Bill’s lap. 

Dipper tilted his head down, eyes widened when their noses brushed. 

“Don’t _touch_ me!” Dipper screamed as he raised his hand and slapped Bill across his face, causing the demon to let go of his ankle. Dipper scrambled backwards, his back hitting a wall. Bill had his face turned from the impact of the slap for a few seconds before he turned to look at Dipper, a smile still curling on his face even though there was a clear red hand-print on his cheek. 

“Don’t ever touch me again or I’ll set you on fire,” Dipper warned, his voice came out strangled. His heart was beating too fast for him to be comfortable. He felt like it would burst in his chest if he couldn’t keep it down. 

Bill raised his hands in the air, mockingly saying, “I won’t touch your precious virginity.”

Dipper made another weird sound, surprised. 

Bill then dropped his hands, a sweet smile crossing his face. “ _Yet_.”

“What do you want from me?” Dipper snapped. “What the fuck is it you want?”

Bill’s face blanked and all the previous amusement vanished. 

“Don’t look at me like that every time I ask you that goddamn question! Why do you always look like that?” Dipper scratched his hair, his fingers dragging across his scalp. 

“We have a connection,” Bill said, his voice void of any emotion. Dipper snapped his mocha brown eyes at him. 

“What?” 

“A connection, kid,” Bill said, running his hand through his hair, a look of frustration appeared on his face. “We’re connected.”

“Connected…,” Dipper said. “What do you mean?”

Bill sighed. “Our minds are connected. I connected our minds. Why? Because I had to.”

“You _had_ to?” Dipper exclaimed. “What do you mean ‘you had to’?”

Bill narrowed his golden eye. “I’m not going to tell you that.”

“But why not?” Dipper said. 

“Because you don’t need to know,” Bill said, sneering. “Drop it.”

“No, I will _not_ drop it!” Dipper said, slapping a hand on the floor. 

“Do you want me to take your virginity too?” Bill asked, shutting Dipper up. “No? Then _don’t_ fucking ask.”

“I…,” Dipper began, licking his lips, eyebrows furrowed. “Why did you kiss me?”

“Oh,” Bill said, grinning. “Because I like seeing you flustered.”

Dipper growled at him. “You asshole.”

“Kid, you can curse at me all you like,” Bill said, tilting his head to the side a bit, making his hair to fall one side in a way that framed his face attractively. “But you and I know that you find me attractive.”

“I’m not gay!” Dipper said. “I don’t find you attractive!”

“No?” Bill hummed. 

“Don’t change the subject,” Dipper said. “The connection, how does it work?”

Bill’s face blanked again. _Oh good, here we go again_ , Dipper thought, irritated. Bill’s face flashed in irritation as well as if he had read his thoughts. 

“It’s simple,” Bill said, placing one arm on the couch to lean against it. “I think about what I want you to do and you’ll feel it.”

Just like he said, Dipper felt a tug at the back of his mind, urging him to move closer to Bill. To his utter surprise though, he managed to resist the compulsion. Bill only snorted at him. 

“I’m not _controlling_ you, Pine Tree,” Bill said. “It’s a mutual thing. You did the same thing to me when you were about to get chewed up by those beasts.”

“I…did?” Dipper said. Bill nodded. “Huh, interesting.”

Bill chuckled, his golden eye shimmered. “You meatsacks are getting weirder and weirder every century.”

Dipper swallowed the insult that threatened to escape his lips. “Why are you in a Human body?”

“Oh,” Bill said, grinning. “This? I told you it’s for you.”

Dipper ignored the way his face flushed. “Why?”

“Haven’t I answered this question?” Bill said, tapping chin once with his forefinger. 

“Why didn’t you show up in a triangle form, Bill?” Dipper said, irritated. Bill shrugged. Dipper gritted his teeth. “Let me guess, that’s a no-asking zone?”

“Bingo!” Bill said. “No point in asking unless you’re willing to give me something else.”

Dipper could feel steam escaping from his body from the fluster. “Shut up,” Dipper mumbled, rubbing a hand down his face. “Why did you sleep?”

“It’s not easy to keep a connection going,” Bill groused, sounding put out. “And in this stupid body, I need to sleep once in a while or else it’ll collapse and make my job harder to do.”

“What job?” Dipper quipped. Bill glared at him. “Great, so I’m actually a pawn in your scheme. What is it, Bill?”

“ _Don’t_ ,” Bill said. “Don’t push me.”

Dipper felt the warning residing deep in his bones. It actually made him stop pursuing that line of thought. Until Bill was ready to answer him again later, that was. 

“Fine,” Dipper said, vowing he would find out what Bill was planning and defeat him. Bill rolled his eye.

“Could you please shut the fuck up?” Bill snapped.

“I didn’t say anything!” 

“Your mind is so goddamn noisy,” Bill said. “Why the hell are you thinking so much?”

“How do you know my mind is so messy?”

“I can feel it. I can feel your emotions, I can get a read of your thoughts if you project it strong enough and you might think it’s all nice and all having a connection but it’s fucking annoying and you’re the worst candidate for this shit so, shut the fuck up once in a while before I force you to.”

Bill stood up and walked out of the living room, leaving a dumbfounded Dipper staring at where he had been. It took him a few seconds to reply to Bill who was no longer present in the Mystery Shack, “What was that all about? How’s that my fault, you asshole?”

 

***

 

Dipper slammed the books on the desk in Grunkle Ford’s lab. He was irritated beyond everything. Even though he got a fraction of his questions answered, it just opened up another can of worms at the end. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. His fingers dropped to his lips and his face reddened. 

He shook his head, taking in a shuddering breath. He thumped his chest, licking his lips. Bill tasted like tobacco if he was being honest. Smoke. The taste mingled and imprinted in his mind. 

He knocked the table, sitting on Grunkle Ford’s chair. How did Bill know he was a virgin anyway? And that he hadn’t had his first kiss?

It wasn’t his fault he was waiting for the right girl to come. 

And now, his first kiss was stolen by none other than Bill Cipher. God, he hated this. 

His heart skipped a beat, making him frown. 

And yet, his heart reacted to the kiss like that. His body didn’t reject it. It was— _weird_. 

Dipper stood up and walked out of the lab, every nerve in his body sang in frustration. Bill had done nothing to resolve his confusion, added more webs to it instead. He slammed the front door and walked up the stairs, each step he took was heavy. 

“It’s all a scheme,” Dipper said to himself as he walked to his bed, sitting on the edge of it. “Nothing but a scheme. He has ulterior motives. Don’t be fooled.”

He looked at the window of his bedroom, standing up to walk towards it. He looked at the forest, frowning. Whatever the voice was, it had told him not to believe the demon. He ought to believe it. Dipper would believe anything and everything over Bill’s words. 

He pressed his fingers against the cool plane of the glass. 

“What are you trying to tell me?” Dipper mumbled. 

A glimmer caught his attention as if to answer him. The glimmer came from the forest. It was a short bling, like something shiny got caught under the sunlight for a second. Dipper narrowed his eyes, watching the spot that he had seen the glimmer but there was nothing there. 

He knew going into the forest was a bad idea. So, he didn’t. 

But, maybe if he could contact whatever it was that was trying to get him to the forest to answer his questions here, then he could get his answers and stay safe. 

“Are…are you here?” Dipper said, turning around to scan his empty room. 

There was no noise or answer. 

“Hello?” Dipper spoke, louder this time. 

Still, there was nothing to indicate that the thing was here. 

“If you can tell me what’s going on,” Dipper said, starting to feel foolish the longer the silence stretched. He rubbed his chin, walking to his desk to pick out random books. He then stood in the middle of his room and squatted down, arranging the books into a row, side by side. He opened the books on random pages before sitting in front of it. 

They had contacted him like this once before in the living room. Maybe they could do it again here. 

“Alright,” Dipper breathed out. “You can use these books to contact me. I…hope this works.”

Nothing happened for a while. 

And just as Dipper was about to give up, the book on his left started to buzz. The pages fluttered like there was wind blowing on it and then—all four books started to have their pages flipped. 

Dipper scooted backwards, keeping a distance from them but still being able to read the words. 

Once the fluttering of the pages stopped, the room became cold like there was a presence in here. Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, uneasiness starting to form in his chest. Something didn’t feel right. He leaned forward to read the words that had been highlighted in the same shade of yellow. 

**Leave. The. Place. Now.**

“Leave the place now?” Dipper questioned. “Do you mean leave Gravity Falls?”

The pages fluttered. Once again, it stopped and words were highlighted after a few seconds. 

The heavy feeling in the room increased. His stomach tightened and dread began to wash into him. 

**You. Will. Not. Survive.**

Dipper thinned his lips. “Survive from what?”

His heart started to race in his chest when the pages began to turn in a violent fashion. 

Maybe, he had made a mistake. Had he invited something bad?

**Bill. Cipher. Is. Dangerous.**

“I…I know he is,” Dipper said, slowly. “Is he planning something? What is he planning?”

**Leave. Now. Or. Else.**

“I can’t leave now!” Dipper exclaimed. “Tell me what’s going on!”

**Leave. Leave. Leave. Leave.**

The pages were flipped right and left, each word that was highlighted was the same one: **Leave**. Fear started to weigh among the uneasiness in his heart. He scooted backwards a bit more, eyes widening when the third book from the left was suddenly thrown away, thudding against the wall by an invisible force. 

Three book started to move around on the floor in circle before they were placed together in a weird pattern. 

**You. Will. Die.**

Dipper’s eyes widened and he didn’t get a chance to speak when something pushed him flat on the floor, wrapping itself around his neck. Dipper touched his neck but all he could reach was his own skin. He couldn’t feel whatever it was that was tightening its grip around his neck. 

How many times had he been in this situation already?

Voices filled the air, evil and dark. 

**_We told you’ll die. You refused to believe us. Before he succeeds, we’ll get rid of the only link._ **

What link? Was he a link? A link to what? 

**_Die._**

The grip on his neck tightened even more until he was gasping for breath, his throat felt like it would get crushed, his eyes burned with tears of anger and fear. 

“S— _Stop_ ,” Dipper managed to choke out. 

The door to his bedroom slammed open, the hinges breaking and a swarm of energy flooded the room, causing the voices in the air to scream in agony and pain. The grip on his neck vanished like it was never there. Dipper curled to his side, gasping and breathing but being unable to get even a single air into him. He curled his fingers on the floor, scratching it. 

Knees dropped in front of him and hands turned him on his back. He looked to see a golden eye turned red, blazing. 

“I told you,” Bill spat out. “I told you you’ll die if you get too curious, didn’t I?”

Dipper’s vision was blackening at the edges. He scrambled to touch Bill’s wrists only to be pushed away. Fingers danced on his throat and Bill’s red glow disappeared, replacing it with gold. He saw blue hue being reflected on his face. His eye was dead serious, staring at his neck. 

Little by little, Dipper realised that his throat was healing. After a few seconds, he managed to breathe in lungful of air. Bill pulled his hands away, slumping to sit on the floor with a deep sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. 

Dipper took a few minutes to catch his breath, managing to finally slow down his heart beat. He shuddered and whimpered as fear coiled in him. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, ashamed. A hand touched his forehead, brushing the hair away. Dipper dropped his hands to the sides of his head, staring up at Bill who was kneeling next to him. 

“I told you,” Bill said, not one ounce of amusement in his eye. “You never fucking listen, do you?”

“Sorry,” Dipper said, willing to admit he had been wrong. “They…tried to kill me.”

Bill’s lips thinned, his golden eye flashed once. His long fingers continued to comb through Dipper’s hair. Dipper knew he shouldn’t relax and melt under his touches but he was tired. He didn’t understand why everything was trying to kill him all of a sudden. 

“You’re a link to me,” Bill said, his voice serious. He looked at Dipper in his eyes. Dipper blinked, his cheeks reddening. Bill smirked before it melted away. “You’re so troublesome. Why did it have to be you?”

“I don’t understand,” Dipper said. “ _Anything_.”

“The less you know, Pine Tree,” Bill said, pulling his hand away. Dipper tried to not show the pang of disappointment at not being able to feel his hand on him on his face. He pushed that feeling to the back of his mind, knowing that he would be panicking about it once what happened settled in his mind properly. “The safer you are.”

Dipper continued to stare at Bill, cataloging his features. Bill smirked, tilting his head to the side once before leering. 

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Bill asked, starting to sound like himself again. Dipper snorted and rolled his eyes before he huffed his breath. 

“I really don’t get it,” Dipper said. “But I’ll find out.”

Bill didn’t say anything. Instead, he tossed his head back and groaned. 

“You meatsacks are troublesome,” Bill muttered. “Especially one Pine Tree. Maybe I should kill you off myself.”

Dipper didn’t reply. 

“Just kidding!” Bill said. 

Dipper sighed. 

Why was this his life?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: AH. WELL. HEH. HERE YOU GUYS GO. I'm not going to say anything. Just, uh, enjoy? Thank you to those who have read, commented, subscribed, bookmarked and gave this story a kudos! Seriously guys, 200 kudos already? Thank you so much for the support! Let me know what you guys thought of this and until next chapter~! -Krystal

 

“Soos?” Dipper opened the door to see Soos standing on the porch with a smile on his face. 

“Hey there, Dipper!” Soos said. 

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, smiling back. 

“Ah yeah, we’re opening the gift shop today, aren’t we?” Dipper said with a sigh. Soos nodded, following Dipper to the gift shop. “I didn’t think we’ll have tourists at this time of the year.”

“It’s almost Halloween,” Soos said. “Summerween was one thing. Halloween is another!”

Dipper hummed, opening the gift shop up, peeking his head out to see one or two people roaming around nearby. 

“The stuff for Halloween is going to be arriving around this week, right?” Dipper asked as he went to the counter and opened the accounts for today. 

“This Friday, yeap,” Soos said, already disappearing to the backroom. Dipper huffed a breath. 

“Here we go again!” Dipper said to himself, stretching upwards before dropping his hands to his sides. Soos was taking care of arranging things at the back by making sure some stuff were still in stock meanwhile Dipper would take the register. He tapped his fingers, drumming it on the counter without any rhythm, staring at the door of the gift shop. 

It didn’t take long before the first customer strolled in. 

Dipper froze. 

“Get out,” Dipper hissed, leaning forward, narrowing his brown mocha eyes at the ‘customer’. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, grinning, his hands in his trousers’ pockets. He casually walked over to the counter, placing one arm against it, tilting his head to one side. “Is this how you treat a valuable customer?”

Dipper curled his fingers into fists, pulling away so that their faces wouldn’t get any closer. He crossed his arms against his chest, glaring at the demon. 

“I thought I told you not to bother me today?” the young man said, thinning his lips. “You know we’re going to open the shop today!”

“I’m just giving you business, Pine Tree,” the demon said, shrugging with one shoulder. He looked over his shoulders, whistling in a one-pitched long tune, glancing at Dipper with an amused golden eye. “Say, how about we make things spooky?”

Alarm bells rang in his mind at that. 

“No,” Dipper deadpanned. “ _No_.”

But like always, the hellion ignored him. With a swish of his hand, the entire store became dark and gloomy, popping at the corners were spider cobwebs. Hanging off the ceilings were different shaped heads that glowed with bright coloured eyes. Fake blood—or Dipper _hoped_ it was fake—oozed out from the cracks of the walls, some splattered on the glasses of the gift shop. 

Outside of the shop, pumpkins started to erupt from the ground, faces carved in. 

Lights were fixed in the shop in orange and yellow. 

“Get rid of it,” Dipper said. Bill turned to look at him, a frown on his face. 

“You’re right,” he said. “It needs more Bill Cipher!”

“Bill, no!” 

But it was too late. With another flick of his hand, triangles were carved into the walls of the shop, eyes glowing in gold. Light blue triangles with one eye were splattered on the glasses. 

Soft blue fire licked the ground outside causing a pathway to form to the door of the gift shop.

Dumbfounded, he stared at what happened for a few minutes before he grabbed Bill by the collar of his shirt, shaking him. 

“Take it down!” he said. “Take it down, Bill! What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m making it festive, yeesh!” the demon said, allowing the human to shake him back and forth, his smirk widening with each movement. He reached out his hands and squished the human’s cheeks between his hands, causing Dipper to freeze. He loosened his grip around Bill’s shirt, staring at him. 

“Let go of me,” Dipper said, his voice becoming stuck in his throat. His heartbeat skyrocketed in his chest and his lips tingled, the memory of their kiss flashed into his mind. With a startled gasp, he pulled himself out of the hellion’s grasp, looking away as his face reddened. 

“Oh hoh!” Bill said, chuckling. “I see you’re thinking about—”

“Hey, Dipper?” Soos said, walking into the gift shop with hands full of boxes. “I found these to…oh woah. Cool, dude! How’d you do this?”

Dipper’s eyes widened, snapping to look at Soos before he looked at the shop. 

“W—Wait, Soos!” Dipper said, taking a step towards him. 

Soos though was already inspecting everything, poking at the glowing eyes. “This is so cool, dude! Awesome, man. Guess we don’t need those, huh?”

Dipper looked at the boxes, blinking once before looking at Soos. He immediately looked at the demon who was leaning against the counter, grinning as he stared at Soos. 

“Glad you liked it, Question Mark,” Bill said. 

Soos froze, turning to look at him, scratching his cheek. “Hey, say, you look familiar.”

Dipper bit his inner cheek, panic starting to bubble in his chest as he walked to stand beside the demon. He glanced at Bill who was glancing back at him, his golden eye flashed in warning. 

“Ah, this is, uh,” the young human said, trying to wreck his brain up for an excuse. Bill had warned him that if anyone found out about them then…But it wasn’t even Dipper’s fault! Bill was the one who came out of nowhere and showed himself to Soos, calling him by his nickname. 

_Wait_. 

Dipper realised that it _wasn’t_ his fault if Bill got found out. It was him who called Soos by that stupid nickname. He opened his mouth to tell Soos the truth when an arm swung over his shoulders, tugging him close. 

“Really? Maybe you’ve heard of me, I’m his boyfriend,” Bill said, extending a hand towards Soos with a grin on his face. 

Soos blinked once and then beamed, shaking Bill’s hand. 

“Dude, I didn’t know you got yourself a lover!” Soos said, looking at Dipper. “Congratulations!”

The human let that sink in his mind before he squawked, his face becoming red. He slapped the demon’s arm away from his shoulder and pushed him off. 

“Soos, no, you got it wrong!” Dipper said, shaking his head. “He’s not my boy— _boyfriend_!”

“Of course I am,” Bill said, placing a hand on his chest. “Don’t tell me you’re denying our love!”

“Oh man,” Soos said, shaking his head. “Don’t hurt your man, Dipper. Well, I’ll just bring back those boxes since we don’t need them anymore. Nice meeting ya, dude.”

Dipper watched helplessly as Soos walked away. Once he disappeared to the backroom, he turned to aim a glare at Bill, who was looking at him unamused. 

“What?” Dipper snapped. “What the fuck was that?”

“You were going to tell him the truth and I improvised,” the demon said with a shrug, taking a step closer to the young human. “Hey, Pine Tree. Did you forget what will happen if you ratted us out?”

The tone was mellow and probably even teasing but it still sent cold dread rushing into his veins. He took a step back from him, his back hitting the counter. Bill took another step closer until he was less than three inches away from them. He leaned forward, placing a hand on the counter and boxing Dipper in. 

“You were the one who almost gave yourself away!” Dipper protested. 

He grabbed Dipper’s chin and tilted his head upwards, arching his neck backwards in an awkward angle. His eyes widened when the golden-eyed demon leaned forward, his full lips pulled into a knowing smirk. 

“Either way, didn’t I tell you not to test me?” 

Dipper wasn’t sure why he wasn’t pushing him away. He had his palms touching flat against the strong chest but he wasn’t pushing. Instead, he was stuck, staring at the tan face, sharp nose, glowing golden eye. His cheeks reddened and his throat closed up, his mind blanking. When their noses brushed, his body came alive in a way that made him want to retreat and run away. 

“Uhm, hello?” a voice said, jolting Dipper back to reality. With that, he pushed Bill away from him, placing the back of his hand against his lips. The demon, for once, moved away to the sidelines, chuckling before turning around to look at the stuff on the shelves. Dipper glared at him, trying to burn holes at the back of his head before looking at the customer. 

“Sorry,” Dipper said, dropping his hand to his sides, trying to snap himself back to the present and not think about how close it had been for those lips pressing against his. He clenched his fingers into fists, smiling tightly at the woman customer. “How can I help you?”

He ignored Bill’s soft chuckle. 

He ignored how his heart raced. 

He ignored _everything_.

 

***

 

Dipper sighed as he slumped on the couch, rubbing the back of his neck. The other side of the couch was occupied by the demon who slung his legs up and landed it on the human’s lap. Dipper glared at the legs, pushing it away only for it to be brought back on his lap. 

“I’m tired,” he grumbled. “Get your stupid feet off my lap.”

“Entertain me,” Bill said, tossing his head back on the arm of the couch. “Now.”

“How about you jump off a cliff?” Dipper continued to grumble, shoving his hands under his thighs so he wouldn’t accidentally place them on those long legs. “Or maybe get shot into space?”

“Someone’s moody,” Bill sang. 

Dipper ignored him, staring at the blank television screen. He slumped deeper into the couch, wondering if he should call Mabel. He missed her and it had been a few hours since he talked to her. His irritated gaze slid to the demon who had his eye closed and his hands folded neatly on his stomach. 

It had been a week since Bill reentered his life in theatrics. So far, he had been nothing but a pain in his ass. If he could, he wanted nothing more but to stab a knife through his chest. He frowned at that murderous intent. God, he had been spending way too much time with the hellion. 

“You’re thinking too much again,” the demon said, opening his eye to look at Dipper. “Shut up.”

“It’s not like I have control over it, you stupid demon,” Dipper groused. “Why don’t you shut up for once and leave me alone.”

Bill swung his legs off his lap and stood up. Dipper tensed when the demon moved to stand in front of him, placing a hand on his shoulder and nudging him against the cushions. He tilted his head up, resting the back of his neck against the couch. The golden eye was filled with amusement. 

“No can do, Pine Tree,” he said, placing one knee next to Dipper’s thigh. Uneasy, he dropped his gaze on the leg before dragging it back at the hovering demon. Bill grinned, the amusement in his eyes became teasing. 

“Get off,” Dipper hissed. He pushed Bill away and surprisingly, the demon didn’t argue. Dipper blinked but he wasn’t going to question as to why Bill let this matter go easily. 

“Well, I’m gonna go now,” Bill said, shoving his hands in his trousers’ pockets, taking a step back from him. Dipper frowned at that. 

“Where?”

“Gonna miss me, Pine Tree?”

Dipper frowned deeper, rolling his eyes. “No. Go, get lost.”

Bill laughed but he didn’t reply. When Dipper looked up to look at him, he was gone. Startled, he stood up, staring at where the demon had stood but after a while, he realised that he really was gone. He rubbed his shoulder, shaking his head. 

“Where does he even go?” Dipper asked himself. He had noticed occasionally the demon would disappear for hours, only coming back in the least convenient times. He thanked his luck until now that the hellion hadn't appeared when he was in the shower. He shuddered. There was no telling what Bill would do to him then if he saw him naked. 

Something coiled at the pit of his stomach at the thought of him being naked in front of the demon. His cheeks reddened and his heart gave a loud thump. 

He had been feeling like this ever since they kissed or more importantly; ever since Bill forced a kiss on him. Even after so much time had passed, he could still feel the hot lips against his. It _still_ sent a shiver down his spine, recalling how strong the hands had felt on his face and at the same time how the warmth rolled over his body from just being pressed against Bill’s taller and bigger one. 

He ran a hand through his hair, resisting the urge to pluck the strands out. 

“I’m thinking nonsense again,” he scolded himself, deciding it would be best if he took a shower. 

A cold shower, preferably. 

He blushed redder. 

“Stupid dorito, making me feel weird.”

 

***

 

Dipper walked around the town after dinner, taking in deep breaths of fresh air. Everywhere he looked, people had started to decorate for Halloween. A real one. Not that Summerween wasn’t real. Dipper smiled, remembering the memories he shared with his sister with fondness. His heart ached at the thought of Mabel. 

He pulled out his phone from his jeans pockets, looking at the time. He wondered if he should call Mabel. It shouldn’t be too late there, right? While he was contemplating that, his phone rang. He grinned when he saw that it was Mabel calling him. 

He answered it without hesitation, tilting his head up to look at the stars. 

“Hey, Mabel,” Dipper said. 

“Dippin’ Dop!” Mabel screeched, causing Dipper to pull the phone away from his ear. For a second, he thought he had gone deaf. “You would never believe what just happened!”

“Ah, what happened?” Dipper asked, cautiously, chuckling. 

“I got asked out!” Mabel said, her voice full of happiness, filling Dipper’s chest with warmth. “Remember how I told you about Bradley?”

“Uh,” Dipper said, scrunching his nose up as he tried to remember who Bradley was. Was it the one who was allergic to dogs or the one who wore sunglasses even when he was indoors? “I think so.”

“It’s the one who wears neon-coloured shirts!” Mabel groaned. “Dipper.”

“Sorry,” Dipper said, grinning. He made sure to hide the wince at the thought of a grown man wearing neon-coloured shirts. He was sure it would look good on someone but it wasn’t Dipper’s taste. “He asked you out?” 

“Yes!” Mabel said. Dipper could imagine her bouncing around in her dorm room. “We’re going out soon to this opera play!”

“Opera…,” he said, licking his lips. “Uh, you sure he’s a good guy?”

“He is!” Mabel insisted. Dipper felt protective of his sister since she had a track record of getting into trouble a lot with boys. Mostly because she trusted them too fast and always gotten her heart broken. He sighed, rubbing his face as he nodded, listening to Mabel listing off all of Bradley’s good qualities. 

Dipper went to lean against a wall of a building located directly in front of the forest. The forest that Dipper hadn’t gone into ever since he almost died. Bill had been hovering over him as well whenever he even had an inkling to go in there. He didn’t know why but he suspected it had to do with the fact he was a link that Bill had been making sure he was nowhere near the place. 

Again, none of the important questions from last week had been answered. 

It was becoming tiring. 

“He also has a six pack, Dipper! A _six_ pack,” Mabel gushed. “He said he’s in the process of obtaining an eight pack next.”

“Great,” Dipper said, laughing. “Are you going to a date a wrestler or something? Why is he so obsessed with working out?”

“He cares for his health,” Mabel said, disapprovingly. “Unlike _someone_ I know!”

“Hey,” Dipper said, frowning a bit. He looked at his stomach, pushing his fingers against it. “I’m perfectly healthy.”

Mabel giggled, causing Dipper to smile. 

He continued to listen to her talk about Bradley, his mind unable to properly grasp the conversation anymore. His concentration zoomed in and out of it. It was then he heard whispers coming from the forest that he stood straighter, frowning. 

He pulled the phone away from his ear, listening for the whispers. It didn’t take long for him to hear it again. He took a step closer to the forest, leaning forward. The whispers got louder when the wind blew at his face. His eyes widened when he recognised one of the voices. 

“Uh, Mabel, I gotta go,” Dipper said. “I’ll call you later.”

“Wait, Dipper! I need help choosing the dress for my date!” Mabel whined. Dipper smiled. 

“I promise you can call me in an hour. I need to check something out, okay?”

“Fine,” Mabel breathed out. “Take care, bro bro!”

“Take care,” Dipper said, ending the call and shoving the phone in his jeans pockets. “Bill?”

The whispers were incomprehensible but that didn’t stop the young man from taking another step closer to the forest. He took a step back though once he thought about all the near death experiences. 

Another wave of whispers reached him and this time, he was sure that one of the voices definitely belonged to Bill. But what was Bill doing in the forest and who was he talking to? 

Dipper took in a deep breath, a sudden tug caused him to take a step towards the voices. Another sharp tug made Dipper take another step. Something in him urged him to look for Bill. Something in him didn’t like the fact that he was talking to someone—as if that someone was evil. 

“What is going on?” he asked, taking another and final step towards the forest. The edges of the forest greeted him with serenity but he knew first hand that it was only filled with dangers lurking in the shadows. 

“ _…leave now…_ ”

“ _You will…nothing but…_ ”

“ _…mine! I will…_ ”

What was going on? The whispers turned into murmurs now that he was almost in the forest. He scanned the forest but he couldn’t find Bill or the person he was currently talking to. 

Another sharp tug at the back of his mind finally made up his mind. God, he was going to regret this but Bill was obviously asking him to find him. That had to be it, right? The tug in his mind was starting to become painful and the compulsion that washed over him was irritating. 

He walked into the forest, hoping that he didn't stumble across any creatures. The voices became louder and louder the deeper Dipper walked into the place. 

At last, his eyes caught onto two figures, one had a hand wrapped around the other’s neck, pushing them against a tree. With a sharp gasp that got caught in his throat, Dipper hid behind another tree, peeking to look at what those two were doing. 

“ _Don’t_ come back,” Bill hissed. Dipper knew then that the demon was the one who was choking the other. Dipper bit his bottom lip from rushing over there and freeing the person from his grip, knowing first hand how painful it could be. He touched his neck, protectively wrapping his hand around it as if he was in danger of being choked. “Don’t _ever_ come back.”

“Hah,” someone said, his voice throaty. “You really didn’t think no one would notice, did you, _Cipher_?”

Dipper felt the hair at the back of his neck raise when he heard a low growl coming from Bill. It sounded guttural and dark. It actually made him want to cower in fear. 

“A _Human_ as a link,” the person continued, unaffected. Dipper took another peek to notice that Bill’s grip around his neck tightened. How was he not flailing for air? Unless…

Dipper’s blood ran cold. 

That person _wasn’t_ Human. 

“He’s _mine_ ,” Bill said. “If you lay a finger on him, I’ll make sure you’d _wish_ you could _die_.”

“He doesn’t know, does he? It’s a shame a demon like you is tied to such a fragile thing. It’s only a matter of time, Cipher, before anyone else comes for the boy.”

A loud slam made Dipper wince. He heard the man coughing and spluttering something wet. 

“ _Get out of my sight_ ,” Bill said and there was a distinct sound like bones being crushed. Dipper closed his eyes shut, not willing to risk a glance at that and have his mind scarred. 

Shit, Bill was really angry. If he found out that he was here…

“You’re scaring him,” the man coughed out. Dipper froze. “Hiding in the shadows, cowering. He’s scared of you. And he’ll _never_ be _yours_ fully.”

A sharp painful tug at the back of his mind caused Dipper to cry out. He slapped a hand across his mouth, opening his eyes. 

Footsteps neared where Dipper was and he tensed when Bill stepped into his view, his golden eye filled with anger. When Dipper glanced at him, he noticed that he looked less Human and more of a demon with his pupil slit and sharp fangs poking out of his mouth. His fingers were now claws and black and gold tendrils marked his skin in weird symbols, swirling around his neck. 

“ _Pine Tree_ ,” Bill said, his voice low and the amount of hate and anger in them was enough to let Dipper know that he was in a lot of trouble. “Didn’t I tell you to not be too curious?”

Dipper’s eyes widened. 

Bill growled. 

“ _Didn’t I_?”

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. 
> 
> A/N: HI. Sorry for the late update. I'm actually going to start being busy, so I'm not sure if my 3 days once update can happen often. So, I thought maybe I'd find a day, once a week update kind of thing. Anyways, thank you guys so much for the support! I'm glad you guys are enjoying what I've been writing so far. Thank you to those who have read, commented, subscribed, bookmarked and gave this story a kudos. Do let me know what you thought about this chapter and until the next one~! -Krystal

 

Dipper knew there was no escaping this. He had been warned and he ignored it all for the sake of curiosity. Now, he felt foolish and undeniably dead. Bill was standing in front of him, his golden eye was becoming red to the point it would glow. 

“B—Bill,” Dipper said, his voice coming out strangled. His eyes were wide, fear colouring his mocha orbs. 

“ _Why_ are you _here_?” Bill hissed, crouching down on one knee to stare at him. Dipper flinched when Bill growled. 

“I’m…I’m sorry,” Dipper said, the fear tightened its reign around his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. 

Bill bared his sharp white teeth, the swirling marks around his neck glowed brighter. 

“ _Stay_ ,” Bill ordered. “Stay here. If you fucking _move_ , I’ll _kill_ you, deal or not.”

Dipper had grown pale at that. Knowing that the demon wasn’t joking, he nodded once and looked away, clutching his fingers tight into fists. He clenched his eyes shut, curling his knees up against his chest. He placed his forehead against them, taking in deep breaths. 

His mind was a mess. His attention jumped from one memory to the next, from one information to the other. It swirled inside his head dragging his old fears of death out in the open. It enveloped him to the point that he was shaking. 

The young man couldn’t hear anything anymore. The only thing he could hear was the blood rushing to his ears, loud. All he could see was darkness from where he closed his eyes. All he could feel was this coldness from the panic that he was going to get hurt and die. 

The jeans on his knees became wet from his tears. 

He stayed like that, at the brink of hyperventilating but never tipping over for what seemed like an eternity. 

It was only when he heard a low howl that belonged to a wolf in the distance that made him snap open his eyes and look up. What he saw chilled his bones. 

He stood up, placing one hand against the rough bark of the tree behind him. He looked around, his heart beating fast. Searching around him, he realised that there was no one else here but him. He turned to look at the spot where Bill was talking to someone and found the spot empty. 

Panic, worse than before, wormed itself into his chest. Looking everywhere, he felt desperation sparking in his mind the longer he couldn’t find any signs of Bill. 

“Bill?” he called out, his voice high-pitched. _Nothing_. The only thing that replied to him was another howl of a wolf, sounding closer than before. “No, Bill. You didn’t…”

But he did, didn’t he?

He _abandoned_ Dipper in the middle of the forest. 

The first thing that came to his mind was his phone. He quickly took it out from his pockets and switched on the flashlight setting. It lessened the fear in him but it didn’t help him to think rationally about his situation. He wanted to get back to the Mystery Shack and he wanted to get back to it _now_. 

But for the first time since he had been in the forest, he realised he didn’t know where he was. 

He couldn’t find any landmarks that he was familiar with in the dark. 

His eyes burned as more tears gathered in them. 

Was this it? 

Defenceless, unable to think straight, he was going to be mauled by something and he was going to die. Shaking his head, he tried to push those horrible thoughts out of his mind. 

“Bill?” Dipper called out again, wanting the demon to answer him. At least, _something_. 

Yet. 

“Bill,” Dipper said but this time, it only came out as a whisper. The coldness of the surrounding started to seep to his skin through his clothes. He huffed a breath, aiming his flashlight around him. “Where am I?”

He heard another howl this time accompanied by a few more howls. That made Dipper take a step towards a random direction, deciding it would be safer if he moved. His survival instincts kicked in, pushing back the fear and panic to the back of his mind for a while as he focused on moving away from that spot. He aimed his flashlight on the ground, making sure to not step on anything. 

The temperature continued to drop the more he walked. 

When he glanced at the time on his phone, he realised that it was nearing midnight and he was still nowhere close to getting out of the forest. Was he never going to get out of here?

Dipper stopped walking, his breath coming out in small puffs. He crouched down, taking in a shuddering breath as everything became too much for him to handle. He clutched on his phone tighter, glancing at the battery. Lead formed in the pit of his stomach when he saw that he only had a few more percent left before his phone was drained out of battery. 

He just charged this thing, didn’t he? Had too much time passed and he wasn’t aware of it?

He tilted his head up to sky, eyeing the stars that twinkled. 

“I want to get out of here,” Dipper whispered. 

He had never spent a night in this forest before. He didn’t want to either. He knew that there were still many creatures left to discover and he didn’t want his first encounter with them to be now. 

“Fuck you, Bill,” he cursed. “It’s not my fault! This isn’t… _my fault_.”

He stood up, breath hitching in his throat when he heard a growl. 

Not again. 

Dipper didn’t stick around to figure out what creature had found him, instead, he took off running at whatever direction he was facing. Wind started to pick up speed, almost sentient, caressing his body in a way that made him want to stop running so it wouldn’t glide over him like that. 

But something in him told him to keep running, to not look back, so he didn’t. 

The wind started to scream when Dipper didn’t stop. The slimy feeling of the wind enhanced with every patter of his feet on the ground. When he felt his muscles aching and was forced to slow down, he hadn’t anticipated for voices to suddenly fill up the forest. 

Dipper stopped abruptly in shock, his chest heaving up and down, his body struggling to keep up with the loss of oxygen. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground. The voices grew louder and louder before one particular voice brushed against his ears. 

He lifted his head up, bringing his phone to aim at the thing that spoke with the light but found that there was no one here. Either that or they couldn't be seen. 

‘ _Only link, only link, only link left to sever._ ’

Dipper dropped his phone when he felt something grazing at the back of his neck. 

“ _Stop_ ,” Dipper snapped, standing up even though his muscles protested against it. “Stop touching me!”

‘ _We told you not to trust a demon. Him. We were trying to spare you._ ’

Dipper didn’t want to listen. 

Suddenly, he felt hands. Hands sliding over his body, some touching his ankles to root him down to the ground and others trying to grab hold of his flailing arms. The voices that seemed to be coming around everywhere slowly began to focus into one union chanting. 

‘ _Sever. Sever. Sever._ ** _Sever_** _._ ’

Over and over again, repeated like a mantra or a spell. Like a _ritual_. 

Dipper tried to struggle, panic overwhelming his senses. His instincts to be brave completely abandoned him right now. 

When he felt touches of fingers sliding to his neck, he gave up the pretence of struggling and just screamed for help. 

In his mind, all that he could think of was how scared he was. How he wanted to leave. How he should have never came in here. 

_Bill, help me, please. I’m going to die!_

“S— _Scared_ ,” Dipper breathed out, tears sliding down his face as the ghostly fingers tightened around his neck. He choked for breath, his struggling movements weakened. 

Why was he _always_ in danger? 

The things on his body pulled him down until he was kneeling on the ground, his throat being painfully tightened. 

_So scared._

Dipper closed his eyes tight, waiting for his lungs to start spasming from the lack of air. 

Everything around him blanked. 

For a few seconds, all he could think about was: _I’m sorry Mabel that I won’t be able to talk to you one last time._

Firmer fingers grabbed his cheeks, shaking his head side to side. Dipper snapped open his eyes, the feelings of those ghostly fingers and the slippery sensation disappeared. The voices stopped. His ears rung and more tears ran down his face when he stared at a familiar face. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, his golden eye squinted. “ _Hey_! Pine Tree!”

Dipper’s bottom lip wobbled and Bill growled. 

“Fucking useless meatsacks! _Breathe_!” 

Bill slammed Dipper against his chest and that was when his mind caught up with his body. He opened his mouth and took in large amounts of air, his chest struggling to accommodate the lack of oxygen. His muscles locked up and a sob escaped his sore throat. 

He grabbed Bill’s shirt, tugging it as he continued to breathe. Dipper felt fingers grabbing his face before being pulled away from the chest just a bit. Something blue flared between them and the painful sensation around his throat disappeared. And yet, the fear still burned bright inside of him, clouding his mocha brown eyes. 

“W— _Why_?” Dipper choked out through the tears. Bill sighed, his fingers left his throat to touch his cheek. “ _Why_?” 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice low. “Come on, let’s get back to that stupid Shack.”

“Hate you,” Dipper said as he punched Bill’s chest, weakly. “Hate you so much.”

“Yeah, _yeah_ ,” Bill said, frowning. “Come on.”

The young man shook his head. What he needed right now was a hug. If Mabel was here, she would have hugged him tight and let him cry. She was one of the rare people he could let his walls down for. He wanted Mabel. He wanted to hear her voice cooing in his ear telling him he was going to be fine. He wanted his sister. 

Strong arms engulfed him into a tight hug. Dipper didn’t bother to struggle as he buried his face against Bill’s shoulder. He dug his fingers against the demon’s back, hugging him back as more tears ran down his face, wetting the shirt. A hand rubbed his back up and down in a consoling manner. 

Hot breath fanned his ear, sending shivers down his spine but it didn’t feel bad. 

“You’re safe,” Bill whispered against his ear. “You’re safe. Should’ve come got you as soon as I calmed down. You’re safe now. They’re gone.”

Dipper let the words sink in his mind. He didn’t know why but he felt this huge relief spreading in his chest knowing that Bill didn’t intend to leave him here stranded forever. They remained like that for a while. Dipper’s mind grew hazy and exhaustion creeped into him. His eyes felt swollen from all the crying, his throat parched. The hand that soothed his back touched the nape of his neck before burying their fingers into the curls, patting them. 

“Why’d you leave me like that?” Dipper questioned, not bothering to reject Bill for now. “I could have died. The deal was that you can’t harm me.”

Dipper winced when the fingers tightened around his hair and pulled a bit. “ _I_ didn’t harm you,” Bill quipped. “Those things tried to. I _stopped_ them.”

“Right,” Dipper said, shaking his head once. “I wanna go home.”

Dipper closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. His nose filled with the scent of smoke but it wasn’t unpleasant. It made him feel warm instead, calm. _Safe_. 

It should have freaked him out for coming up with such thoughts associating with the demon but he would do that later. Right now, he wanted nothing more but to change out of these clothes and go to bed. 

“Come on,” Bill said, pulling away to stand. Dipper opened his eyes to look at the nuisance, glaring at him with what he knew red-rimmed eyes. Bill only rolled his golden eye, both hands grabbed Dipper’s and pulled him up his feet. 

The young man swayed a bit. Bill wrapped an arm around his waist, dragging him close to keep the Human from falling flat on the ground again. 

“Come on, Pine Tree, let’s get out of here,” Bill said.

Dipper tried to walk. He really did. But all the excitement from before just became nothing more but exhaustion and his whole body weighed like metal. He heard Bill groan under his breath, muttering something; most probably about how useless he was. 

The youngest Pine gasped in shock when his feet got swiped off the ground and arms wrapped around his body. He yelped when he was thrown over Bill’s shoulder. He grabbed the demon’s back, kicking his feet in protest, blood rushing to his face. 

“W—What are you doing?” 

“You’re tired, right?” Bill said. Dipper didn’t have to look at the demon’s face to know that he had a smirk on his face. “So, sleep.”

Alarm bells went off in his mind but before he could do anything, his mind became hazier than before. 

“ _Sleep_ , Pine Tree,” Bill said. 

Almost like he had been put under a spell, Dipper felt dizzy. His eyelids became heavy. His chaotic mind blanked and his body relaxed. Darkness covered his vision. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

 

***

 

“Pine Tree.”

“Shut up, go away!”

He heard Bill laugh. Dipper gritted his teeth, curling the blankets around his body tighter, refusing to look at the stupid dorito. His bed dipped on his left side. 

“Pine Tree,” the demon cooed from next to him. Dipper had his back turned facing Bill but he knew exactly what expression the pain of his life was wearing. Probably a smug look on his face. But Dipper wasn’t going to give in and yell at him. Not when he was angry at him. 

He had woken up a few hours ago to a brand new day, to about fifteen missed calls and thirty messages from Mabel, on his bed in his room, wearing nothing but the previous night’s shirt and his pair of boxers. His jeans, hoodies, socks and shoes were tossed all over the ground. 

It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots when he recalled of yesterday’s events. He had grown embarrassed, flustered and then downright pissed. It was then Bill had walked into the room, wearing a suit like he had been wearing when they met that first time, grinning wide. 

Dipper had taken the first thing he could reach which turned out to be a thick book and threw it at his face. It missed the mark, sadly, but it gave the young man enough time to burrow under his blankets and toss it over his head to create a barrier between himself and the demon. 

“Is this how you thank your saviour?” Bill said. 

“ _You’re_ the one who put me in that position, you asshole!”

“I wouldn’t have to do that if you just listened.”

Dipper thinned his lips, eyes burning in rage. He tightened his grip on the blankets. “It wasn’t _my_ fucking fault. I don’t get why you’re so mad. You don’t tell me anything when really, _everything_ concerns me!”

Bill didn’t say anything but Dipper had known he wouldn’t. That asshole was probably having a field day making fun of him. 

“You left me there to be harmed,” Dipper snapped, his voice becoming scratchy and wobbly as he recalled how scary the whole thing had been. “I could have died!”

“Yeesh, you _didn’t_!” Bill said, sounding irritated. “I saved you, didn’t I? For the umpteenth time. You haven’t grown up at all. Still the troublesome meatsack you had been a few years ago.”

That stung for some reason. 

It stung and hurt his pride. 

He clenched his jaw, tossing the blanket off him so it rested on his waist. He turned to glare at the demon who was lying on the bed next to him, staring at the ceiling with both hands behind his head. His golden eye glanced at him before he looked back at the ceiling, a smirk tugging on his lips. 

It just made Dipper angrier. 

“I wouldn’t have been in any of those situations if you hadn’t come back!” Dipper yelled, his voice echoed in the quiet room. “You’re the nuisance here, Bill. You are! Why can’t you leave me alone!”

Bill’s smirk vanished, replaced with a frown. 

Dipper clenched his fingers into fists. “I hate you. Why couldn’t you get lost?”

“How much did you hear last night?” Bill asked, looking at him. Dipper’s anger momentarily vanished at the sudden question before it came back with full vengeance. 

“Are you fucking kidding me? I asked you a question and you asked me one back?”

Bill grabbed his wrist, his fingers hot against his skin. Dipper’s face flushed, his heart fluttered a bit when the golden eye met his mocha ones dead straight. 

“What?” Dipper asked, twisting his wrist from Bill’s grip. 

“How much did you hear last night?” The demon didn’t have the look of blankness or anger. Instead, the hellion looked serious and curious at the same time. 

Dipper licked his lips and sat up, his back against the headboard. “Not much.”

“Hm,” the demon said, sighing. “Why must it be you?”

“Look,” Dipper snapped. “I don’t fucking know what you’re talking about but this is getting really ridiculous! What the hell happened to you last night?”

“I almost killed you on sight last night,” Bill deadpanned without remorse in his voice. That sent cold shudders throughout the human’s body. His eyes widened, his breath hitching in his throat as what Bill said sunk in his mind. 

It made him scoot away from Bill a bit. 

That made the demon chuckle, humour entering his golden eye. “You’re finally scared, huh?”

“I really thought you’d kill me, Bill,” Dipper said, his voice tight. “And then you went and fucking abandoned me in the middle of the very forest that tries to kill me every time I let my guard down!”

“Nobody asked you to go in there, kid!” Bill growled out, sitting up with sudden ferocity that silenced the Human. Bill ran his fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp up and down before huffing out in frustration. He glared at the mocha-eyed man. “I fucking told you to never go into the forest without me, didn’t I?”

Dipper got out of bed and took a few steps away from it to keep a healthy amount of distance between him and the demon. He swallowed the sudden lump forming in his throat, gathering every strand of courage he had left to face him. 

“It’s not my fault!” Dipper exclaimed. “It’s not like I wanted to go in there! You were the one who kept fucking tugging at this…this connection or something!”

Bill’s glare vanished, replaced with a wide-eyed look. “I called you there?”

Dipper frowned, uneasiness washing into his mind at that. “Yeah? But it was more…painful, I guess.”

“Fuck,” Bill said, shaking his head. 

“What’s with that look?” Dipper asked. Bill rubbed a hand down his face, standing up from the bed. “Bill, what the hell was that last night?”

Bill rubbed the back of his neck, turning to look at the young man. “That was me trying to get rid of pests.”

The words were said with such venom and hate that it made Dipper take another step back. 

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows. “Who…who was he, Bill? Last night?”

The demon became rigid. His golden eye flashed red for a second before disappearing. He bared his teeth and said, “None of your business.”

“It is my business!” Dipper said. “What is this link everyone is talking about? What the fuck did you mean when you said I was yours?” His face flushed at that, realising it sounded weird coming out of his mouth. 

Bill grinned, edgy and tensed. “We’re connected, Pine Tree. You _are_ mine.”

“I am _not_!” he protested. “I am not _yours_ , you asshole! I’m not a _thing_!”

“Yeah, here’s the thing,” the hellion said, tilting his head to one side. He pointed a finger at the Human before he pointed at himself, doing that motion a few times. “You’re _my_ link, Pine Tree. I’m not _your_ link. That means, you’re _mine_.”

“ _What_ link? I’m not anyone’s _link_! I _don’t_ understand why it has to be _me_!”

“I don’t get it, either!” Bill grumbled. “A fucking meatsack as my link is humiliating. But that’s the way it is, Pine Tree. You’re _mine_.”

Dipper thinned his lips, gritting his teeth. 

“I will find out what this all means, Bill! I _will_!”

Bill only flopped back on the bed, lying on his back to stare at the ceiling. “Good luck, kid. Looking forward to the result.”

“ _Asshole_!” Dipper stormed out of the room, heading to the bathroom to slam the door shut. It was only then he realised that he was still wearing yesterday’s shirt and a pair of boxers. His face heated up and he slumped to the ground, shaking his head. 

_“He doesn’t know, does he? It’s a shame a demon like you is tied to such a fragile thing. It’s only a matter of time, Cipher, before anyone else comes for the boy.”_

What did that mean? 

Who was going to come after him? Who else? What did he mean ‘tied to’? Dipper touched his chest and thumped it twice. 

He was _scared_. He would admit that much. Despite how brave he tried to be, he was still scared. This was beyond his own imagination. His gut was telling him that whatever that was lying for him in the future was going to be ten times worse than anything he could even imagine. 

Something that would simultaneously hurt and kill him. 

Dipper pushed himself to stand up, glancing at himself to look in the mirror. He touched his neck, remembering how slimy and ghostly the touches had been but still firm at the same time. He took off his shirt and tossed it on the ground, heading to the bath to fill it up with water. 

The longer he stayed in here, the clearer he could get his head to be. Once he prepared the bath, he dropped his boxers, pooling it around his feet and got into the tub. He sighed, the warm water soothed the slight aching muscles. 

He tilted his head and let the steam caress his body before he sat up properly, letting his fingers to swish around the water. The water was clear, no soap or bath bombs added to it yet. He was just about to grab a bath soap when something on his legs caught his attention. 

His thighs to be exact. His right thigh.

Dipper sat back down properly, his fingers touched his thighs. 

There was something on his skin. Dipper pushed one knee against his chest and let the other spread to the edge of the bathtub to take a closer look at what it was marked on his skin. His blood ran cold when on his right inner thigh, there was a mark. 

A mark in golden and black, almost like it was tattooed there. 

A mark he had seen only once before. 

On Bill’s forearm. 

His heart beat loudly against his chest as he stood up, water splashing from the edge of the tub wetting the bathroom floor. Grabbing on the shower curtains so he wouldn’t trip and fall, he got out of the tub and head for the door. Panic rushed into his veins, his mind catching one thought only for it to release it and catch another. He wretched the door open, his breathing too fast for him to comprehend. 

“B— _Bill_ ,” he gasped out. He heard footsteps, loud and clear before Bill came out of the room, his hair a mess and his golden eye wide. 

“Pine…Tree—”

“ _What_ the fuck did you do to me?” 

Bill stood there staring at him. His eyes then dropped to his legs, frowning. Dipper was too panicked to even be embarrassed or aware the state he was in, instead, pointed to his right thigh, eyes burning. 

“Fuck, Bill, what the fuck did you do?” 

“Pine Tree,” Bill started, his lips twitched to smirk. His golden eye met the mocha brown ones only to freeze for a few seconds. He frowned deeper at Dipper’s stricken face. “What?”

Dipper burst out, yelling, “I have a fucking tattoo on my fucking inner right thigh so _what_ the fuck did you _do_ , you motherfucking _asshole_?”

Bill tilted his head to one side before his golden eye narrowed. He took a few steps towards the Human only for Dipper to shake his head, halting him. 

“What do you mean tattoo?”

“A _tattoo_ , Bill. Why is the same tattoo on your arm now on my inner right thigh?”

Bill froze. 

Dipper noticed that and he became even more panicked. “ _Bill_ , what the fuck did you _do_?”

 

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: HEY. HEY HEY HEY. 300 KUDOS ALREADY? I'M HONOURED. //showerseveryonewithcandies// Thank you guys so so much for the support and love I'm getting for this story! It's really making me happy and I hope that I don't disappoint you all as I continue to write. <3 Also, I want to thank you to you guys who understood about the future lack of time to update. As for now, I'm still be able to update 3-4 days once schedule but the minute I'm busy again, I'll let you guys know what day I have picked to update this story so it'll become like a once a week update kind of thing. Thank you to those who have read, commented, bookmarked, subscribed and gave this story a kudos! Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and until next one~! -Krystal

 

 

Dipper was itching to kick Bill in his face. 

He was sitting at the edge of the bed, wearing his hoodie and his boxers with his arms crossed, staring with a blank face at the demon who was currently leaning against the window, his head turned to the side to look outside, a frown marring his face. 

“Well?” Dipper said, his voice low and impatient. Bill only hummed, his eyebrow furrowing. “ _Bill_?”

“Shh,” the hellion said, waving a hand at him. “Get lost.”

Dipper’s very thin strand of patience snapped and he stood up, stomping towards the demon with a snarl on his face. He grabbed the demon by his shoulders and turned him around, slamming him against the windows before taking a step back. Bill blinked once before he huffed a breath, crossing his own arms against his chest, levelling an unimpressed look at the man. 

“Don’t ignore me,” Dipper retorted. “I’m done with you keeping secrets, Bill.”

Bill snorted, rolling his eye. “Kid, don’t bug me. I’m trying to think.”

“Think about _what_?” the twenty-two-years-old man asked, frustrated. “Why can’t you tell me anything?” To goad the demon even more, he added, “Or is it because you don’t know the answers like you claim you do?”

That made Bill react. He bared his teeth, his golden eye flashing but to Dipper’s surprise, he didn’t touch him or hurt him. Instead, the demon looked like he was… _pouting_. 

“I do know,” Bill murmured, his eyebrow furrowing again as a frown etched on his lips. His gaze dropped to the young man’s bare legs. Dipper felt heat rushing to his face under his stare, taking a step back to get Bill to look up again. When the demon did, he had a smirk on his face rapidly being widened into a grin. “I think I need to take a look at it properly.”

“Wait, what— _Bill_!”

Dipper was grabbed by his right arm and dragged to his bed. He was tossed on it, causing him to land on his mattress, his breath leaving his lungs. He growled, sharpening his eyes at Bill who was already crawling up on the bed to sit next to him. 

“What are you doing?” Dipper asked. 

“I just want to check,” Bill said. With a swift motion, he pried Dipper’s legs apart and settled in between them, each hand placed on the man’s knees, fingers squeezing them. The mocha brown-eyed man froze, his heart stuttered for a millisecond. His already red face burned brighter, his eyes wide and filled with uncertainty. 

“Check _what_?” he screeched, flailing his arms around, trying to sit up. He aimed a kick at Bill’s shoulder only to be stopped by the hellion grabbing his ankle, wrapping his elegant fingers around them. His golden eye sparkled in amusement. “Bill, let me go!”

“Calm down,” Bill said, dropping his leg onto the bed, placing his hot palm flat against the side of Dipper’s right thigh. That one full contact sent a shiver running down the young man’s spine, a gasp getting caught in his throat. His heartbeat accelerated as he placed both elbows on the sheets, keeping his body upright to stare at the tan hand contrasting his skin that never seen the sun, still light and milky. 

“I…I don’t know why you’re touching me,” Dipper said, his voice coming out strangled. The place where Bill’s hand rested on his thigh felt like it was going to sink through his flesh. 

“Didn’t you hear me?” Bill said, his voice sounding distracted. “I just need to check the mark.”

Before Dipper could protest, the demon dragged his hand upwards, leaving goosebumps behind. His fingertips traced the edges of Dipper’s boxers before he pushed his hand underneath it. This time, Dipper’s entire body went rigid, the weight of his upper body becoming too much for his elbows to hold up. He dropped flat on his back, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. 

“S— _Stop_ ,” Dipper said, slapping a hand on the demon’s, grabbing his fingers and lifting it away from his thigh. The golden-eyed immortal blinked once, twisting his hand from Dipper’s grasp before he sighed, shaking his head. 

“Look, I’m not going to do anything, alright?” he said, his lips twisted into a deeper frown. “It’s not like I want to touch your stupid body.”

The young man frowned back at him. “Oh, that’s great! That makes me feel better! Totally!”

“Yeesh!” Bill said. “Either you want me to touch you or you don’t. Make up your mind, kid!”

“I don’t!”

“Then stop fucking whining!” Bill slapped his palm against Dipper’s right thigh again, eyeing the man with an amused smirk. Dipper once again pushed himself up on his elbows to stare at the stupid dorito. “I really do just want to check, Sapling.”

“S— _Sapling_?” Dipper choked out. “What the fuck is a Sapling and who’re you calling a Sapling?”

Rolling his golden eye, he huffed out a breath. Mocha brown eyes widened when Bill crawled higher above him, placing one strong hand against his chest and pushing him down flat on the bed. 

“Sapling is a term of endearment, kid,” Bill said, his voice sounding uninterested. “Thought it would keep you quiet for a while.”

“Don’t treat me like a child!” 

Bill grinned, sharp, as he glanced at Dipper before dropping his gaze on the man’s leg. “Sorry to burst your bubble, Pine Tree but compared to me? You’re nothing but a newborn.”

Dipper made a face at that, unflattering images crawled into his mind. 

“Hey, hey, _hey_! _Don’t_ touch me! Get off me! Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did to me the last time you touched me!” Dipper froze when Bill grabbed a handful of his thigh flesh. It wasn’t a painful touch, merely just a presence but it was enough to immobilise the youngest Pines. 

“Hm, you’re thinking about the time I kissed you or the time I almost killed you?” Bill asked, looking at Dipper with a tilt of his head. He had a smirk on his face, making him look more intimidating than anything else when he loomed over the shorter male like this. 

Why the fuck wasn’t he struggling?

That jarred Dipper out of his thoughts and he circled one hand around Bill’s wrist that was against his chest while the other he placed flat against his chest. 

“Get off me,” Dipper croaked out. “ _Now_.”

“Or _what_?” Bill challenged, his golden eye glowing. His hand that was on the youngest Pines’ thigh started to drag up again, his fingertips grazing his skin as they disappeared under the hems of his boxers. His heartbeat stopped beating for a second when Bill’s fingers grazed at a spot where he was sure the tattoo was. 

What he felt next made him gasp out loud. 

It also made him jerk upwards so fast that he managed to take Bill off guard and toss him off the bed. Dipper gathered the sheets around him and curled it against his lap, shoving himself backwards until his back hit the headboard. His breath came out ragged and his mind blanked blissfully for a second before everything crashed into him. 

He tightened his grip on the sheets, staring at where Bill was standing up from the floor, his jaw clenched tight. 

What he felt was a sharp jolt of electricity running through his body. It didn’t feel uncomfortable, in fact, it felt… _nice_. Dipper blinked a few times before he pointed a finger at the hellion, who was staring at him with a blank look on his face.

“What…what was _that_?” Dipper screeched. Bill winced at the pitch, running a hand through his golden hair. 

“Now I _really_ need to see the mark,” Bill said, the previous amusement and distracted tone vanished from his voice. “Show it to me or I’ll take a look at it myself.”

“What was that?” he asked. “I’m not going to show you anything until you answer me!”

“ _Enough_ , don’t argue with me, Pine Tree.”

“I will fucking _kill_ you, demon,” Dipper snapped, his voice filled with venom. “Spit it out. What the fuck is happening?”

Bill clenched his fingers to fists. He looked ready to punch something and Dipper was sure that if it wasn’t the contract binding him, he would have hurt him a long time ago. That thought was like a bucket of cold ice poured over him. Despite the body, the hellion was still a demon. He was still the darkest thing the youngest Pines had ever met. He wasn’t all giggles and pranks; he was a nightmare came alive when things didn’t go his way. 

He watched with wary eyes as the demon dragged both hands through his hair, messing up his disarrayed strands even more. 

His golden eye flashed but there was no real malice in them. 

“I’ll tell you,” Bill said, his voice placating. “I will. Just let me see the mark, Pine Tree.”

He debated the immortal’s sincerity, snorting to himself when that though occurred in his mind. Bill wasn’t sincere. He didn’t think that was even in his dictionary. But he was curious of the mark on his thigh. He wanted to know what was going on. 

“You know what’s going on then?” he asked, cautious. Bill nodded. 

“I have an idea,” the hellion said as he gestured with one hand at the young man’s covered legs. “But I need to see the mark.”

Dipper didn’t want to strip naked in front of him. He already had his first kiss stolen, he didn’t want his virginity to be taken away either. Bill’s lips twitched upwards, his golden eye filled with amusement. Dipper flushed red, realising his thoughts must have echoed in the demon’s mind. 

“I won’t touch you,” Bill said, pressing one knee against the bed, looking ready to crawl towards him. 

“Stop!” Dipper said. “Stay there. I’ll show it to you but under no circumstances are you going to touch me, okay?”

Bill snickered, pressing the back of his left hand against his mouth. “Sure.”

He narrowed his eyes at the demon but Bill only raised his eyebrow at him. Dipper bit his bottom lip, sighing as he pulled the sheets away from him. He then rolled the boxer hems of his right leg until it was high enough to show the tattoo clearly without exposing any extra skin. His face still became red though. This was still too much skin exposed. He felt uncomfortable. 

Bill crawled closer but like he told Dipper, he didn’t touch him, didn’t even accidentally graze his skin. Instead, he just stared at the tattoo before he frowned, sighing. Dipper took that as a sign that he was done examining the strange mark and covered his bare legs with the sheets again, hyperaware of the demon’s presence. 

“Well?” Dipper questioned. 

“We’re bound,” Bill said, sitting cross-legged, resting his elbows on his knees. He placed his chin on the palm of his right hand, looking at Dipper with an expressionless face. Dipper let that sink in his mind before he took in a sharp breath. 

“Bound?” Dipper asked. “Is that different from being connected?”

“Yeah,” Bill said, a growl almost escaping his lips. “Great.”

“Hey, wait, what do you mean?” Dipper asked when he saw that Bill was getting off the bed. The demon settled back on it, rolling his golden eye. 

“It means we’re connected, Pine Tree,” Bill explained. “Something went wrong and instead of just being connected through our minds, we’re…”

“ _We’re_?” Dipper said, his heart pounding in his chest.

“Somehow,” Bill murmured, his shoulders tensing. “You became much more than a link to me.”

“I…I don’t get it,” Dipper said, his voice low. “I…”

“You’re _mine_ ,” the demon said, starting to sound frustrated. “You’re _mine_ , Pine Tree. But that doesn’t mean I’m _yours_. Now, now, with that on you, that’s changed!”

He got off the bed then, heading to the windows to look at the forest. 

The youngest Pines still didn’t get what that meant.

“I don’t get it,” Dipper said, at last. Bill spun around to look at him, leaning against the windows with his arms crossed against his chest. 

“What the fuck don’t you get?” he asked, his voice coming out harsh. 

“I don’t get what you meant that things have changed!” Dipper exclaimed, getting out of the bed too. “So,why don’t you just tell me what’s really happening?”

“I just told you what’s happening, you idiot,” Bill snapped. 

“What the fuck did you do to my mind?” 

Bill froze at that question and Dipper knew that he had hit something. 

“Tell me what happened when we made the deal, Cipher,” the young man said. “Why did that lead to us being connected? Why am I your link? And now this mark, what does it mean everything’s changed?”

Dipper waited for the hellion to answer. He stomped his foot on the ground, knowing he was acting like a five-year-old when the demon didn’t answer him. Instead Bill opted to turn his head away to look at the ground, his hair masking his expression. 

It irritated the young man. 

“I had things to do so I needed your mind,” Bill said, finally, his voice coming out soft and dark. “I needed your mind but then because it’s _you_ , things didn’t go as planned.”

“What things?” 

“Ah, _nope_!” Bill grinned then, the complete dark tone a moment ago disappeared. “That’s the quota for questions today filled.”

“So, I can ask more tomorrow?” Dipper sassed. Bill opened his mouth before he closed it and shrugged, grinning wider at the young man. 

“Whadya’ know, my Pine Tree is getting smarter at dealing with a demon!”

“I’m not _yours_ ,” Dipper mumbled, his cheeks felt hot. “Then, the mark—what—”

“Ah, I’m done with this conversation.” 

“Hey, no, get back here!” 

But before the youngest Pines could protest anymore, Bill disappeared from his sight, vanishing into thin air. “Bill! Come back! You _coward_!” 

He huffed a breath and sat at the edge of his bed, staring at his feet. He rubbed his face with his hands, his mind reeling with the information. Why was it so hard to get any answers from that stupid dorito? He touched his lips and frowned, shaking his head. He touched his right thigh, caressing at where the tattoo would be.

“Bound,” Dipper whispered to himself. “Soul bound?”

But no, that couldn’t be. 

“Bill doesn’t have a soul,” he said, standing up. “A demon has never been alive, so they can’t have a soul.” Dipper froze. “That also means a demon can never die either. So, Bill was never dead. Just weakened.”

Did connecting their minds was a way for him to become stronger somehow? But if he didn’t have enough power, wouldn’t it make more sense for the demon to appear in front of him in his triangle form? And that mark on his forearm, what did that mean? 

He had to find those notes about Bill. He had to. There must be something in them about this. With that thought in his head, he went to grab a pair of jeans before he made his way out of the room to Grunkle Ford’s lab.

 

***

 

He loitered around Grunkle Ford’s lab and when he did find the books he thought were gone, there wasn’t much information about ‘links’ or ‘bonds’. It only contained things about how he shouldn’t trust Bill and the usual stuff he had already known by heart. 

Dipper walked out of the lab with a heavy heart and a sense of curiosity brewing in him. He looked at the forest, shaking his head. It hadn’t even been two weeks and he was already almost dead multiple times because of this link. 

He sighed, wishing Mabel was here right now. He had talked to her and apologised for not answering her calls, all the while hoping she would hear the hopelessness in his voice and call him out of it. 

But at the same time, he was relieved that Mabel wasn’t here either. She didn’t need to get into this mess. It was enough he was in trouble, it would be best if Mabel didn’t come near this. 

“I just want to know more of what’s going on,” Dipper breathed out, tilting his head upwards to look at the sky. 

“ _Really_?”

Dipper screamed, surprised, turning around to look at who had spoken. His eyes landed on a tall man, wearing a neatly ironed navy blue suit. He had dark hair with glowing green eyes. He was as pale as the snow as well, his thin pink lips stretched into an amused smirk. 

Something in his mind told him to take a step back from the person and he did, learning to trust his intuitions since he was twelve. The man noticed that and his smirk widened. He was leaning against the walls, his arms crossed against his chest, his body relaxed. 

“W…Who are you?” Dipper asked, his mocha brown eyes glued on him, not daring to look anywhere else, sensing that this was a trap. The man chuckled. 

“I am,” the man said. “Your ally.”

“Ally?” the youngest Pines said, frowning. “Ally for what?”

“Ally, kid,” he said. Dipper frowned deeper. “Against your demon friend.”

That voice though. The young man recognised it. He knew that voice. When he searched his mind, it didn’t take a minute for him to know who this was. That just warranted another two more steps back from him. 

“Right, ally,” Dipper said slowly. “Right. No, you’re not.”

The man blinked before he grinned, his teeth sharp just like how Bill’s were. 

“You’re the one Bill was talking to last night,” the youngest Pines said. The man looked delighted, standing straighter and dropped his hands to his sides, shoving them into his trousers’ pockets instead. 

“Righto,” the man said. “Wow, you recognised me just from my voice? Smart kid.”

“What the fuck do you want?” Dipper snapped. 

“I’m Alfred,” the man, Alfred said, a hint of an accent in his words. 

“I really don’t care. What the hell do you want from me?” 

“Feisty,” Alfred tutted. “Didn’t you want to know the answers to your questions, kid?”

“Don’t call me ‘kid’,” the mocha brown-eyed man said. He licked his lips, his inner curiosity perked up at that even through there were multiple warning chimes going off in his head. And he saw how Bill had gotten angry with him. It would be best if he took off from there. 

“Come on,” Alfred said, his green eyes glowed. “Don’t you want to know why you’re the one who answered his call?”

“Call?” 

Alfred’s eyes lit up. “He didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Dipper really shouldn’t be doing this but he couldn’t help but to be sucked into this conversation. Not when he was getting something somewhere finally. “What call?”

“He didn’t tell you!” Alfred tossed his head back and laughed. “This is just too good! Who knew the great Bill Cipher is trying to keep you safe?”

“ _Safe_ …” Dipper tested the word out but it didn’t sound right. “Bill would never keep me safe. If he had the chance, he would have killed me.”

“He would,” Alfred agreed, wiping an imaginary tear away. “But he won’t. He _can’t_. Not when you’re the one who answered his call.”

“What call?” Dipper asked again. 

Alfred hummed, eyeing Dipper up and down, making the young man uncomfortable. The dark-haired tall man took a step towards the youngest Pines, his fingers outstretched almost like he was going to touch Dipper before he curled his fingers away. 

“His call for the one who holds a soul that’ll match his empty shell.”

“That made no sense,” Dipper deadpanned, earning a chuckle from Alfred. “He’s a demon. Why would he need a soul to match anything?”

“He really didn’t tell you anything,” Alfred said, sounding half-surprised. “Well, I can tell you all about it.”

Dipper already knew where this was going. 

Alfred took another step towards him, his hand stretched out. “All you need to do, Sapling, is make a deal with me.”

Those green eyes became neon, almost burning. And his skin suddenly felt hot, his fingers itching to touch the hand that was outstretched. 

“No,” Dipper resisted, trying to ignore this sudden need to just shake that hand. “No, no deals. You’re a demon just like him, aren’t you?”

“I’m a demon,” Alfred agreed, his voice soft and almost melodic. “But not like him. No. Don’t you want to know all the answers to your questions? All you need to do is shake my hand.”

“No!” It took everything in him to take a step back, his eyes wide and his heart racing in his chest when he felt the hotness underneath his skin increase tenfold, borderline painful. “What are you doing to me?”

The green eyes glowed even more. “You’re pretty good at resisting. Had Cipher taught you that too?”

“W—What?”

“I won’t hurt you. Just take my hand and you’ll know all the answers, Sapling.”

“Stop calling me that too!” Dipper hated that word. It only ever sounded unthreatening when Bill said it. He didn’t know why but he just didn’t like being called that by anyone else. “Bill will come back and finish what he couldn’t finish last night.”

“ _Bill_ ,” Alfred said, almost like he was testing the name out. “Cipher knows how to choose them.”

“Stop, whatever it is you’re doing to me, just _stop_!” Dipper touched his arm and yelped, realising that he was literally burning up. 

“Didn’t I tell you to _get lost_?” 

Immediately, the burn underneath his skin disappeared. Dipper touched his arm and hugged it tight against his chest, taking in sharp deep breaths, glancing over his shoulder to see Bill, his golden eye glowing and his lips pulled back into a snarl. Alfred pulled his hand away, shoving them into his trousers pockets, tilting his head to one side. 

“You know very well your territorial behaviour last night wasn’t going to be enough to stop me, Cipher,” Alfred said. 

Bill walked to where they were, glancing at Pine Tree. “Go inside the Shack, Pine Tree.”

“But—”

“ _Pine Tree_ ,” Bill stressed out, his voice held no room for argument. Dipper closed his mouth shut, anger burning in his veins as he glared at him. 

“Tsk, tsk,” Alfred said, catching both of their attention. “That poor boy didn’t even know he answered your call, Cipher. You’re keeping him in the dark about this.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Bill said, his voice calm but menacing. “Pine Tree. _Leave_.”

“And now you’re trying to keep an arm’s length from me,” Alfred continued with a mock sigh. “You knew you can’t keep him safe forever, Cipher. The others already know.”

Bill growled, an inhuman growl that made Dipper hunch his shoulders inwards, his flight and fight instincts starting to kick up. 

“Didn’t I already crush your skull beneath my feet?” Bill snapped. Dipper’s eyes widened at that, remembering with a haze that he had heard something like bones crushing last night. 

“You’re stupid if you think no one will get to him,” Alfred said, his amusement vanishing from his face, his green eyes becoming tinted with red. 

“You really have guts coming near him after everything,” the golden-haired demon said. “Do you really want me to snap your neck in half and pull your guts out of your body?”

“Morbid as always,” Alfred sniffed. His green-red eyes slid to Dipper before he smirked. “The only soul that could match your empty shell, Cipher and he’s a Human. You’re going to lose him as quickly as you got him.” Alfred dragged his green-red eyes to Bill, his smirk dying. His green eyes now completely turned red. “And it _won’t_ be because of their short lifespan either.”

“ _Leave_ ,” Bill said, his voice so low pitched that it made the hairs at the back of Dipper’s neck stand. Alfred’s face became emotionless. He looked at Dipper and huffed his breath. 

“You should have taken my hand when you had the chance, kid,” Alfred said. “You’re just going to die if you stay like this. Count your days.”

“ _What_?” Dipper said, shocked. 

Alfred disappeared from their sight after that, leaving behind a heavy silence. His heart was beating fast in his chest and his mind raced from one thought to the next. He looked at Bill, who was looking back at him with the same blank emotion that usually meant something bad was going to happen, mostly to him. 

“What did he mean when he said I’m going to die, Bill?” Dipper asked, searching the demon’s face. 

“Yeah,” Bill said, at last. He licked his lips, staring dead into Dipper’s mocha eyes. “You’re going to die, kid.”

Dipper’s heart stopped beating for a second. 

“You’re going to die. And it’ll be because of me.”

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: GUYSSSS. IM SO HELLA SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATES! I'VE BEEN BUSY ON WATTPAD TO BE HONEST, TRYING TO GET BACK WRITING ORIGINALS AND SUCH. I'll leave a link here if you guys have Wattpad accounts and want to read my originals. ;D Anyways, thank you so much for the support and the comments! DCAT, YOU HAVE AN ACCOUNT NOW YAY! AND RYYUZAKI, MAN I SAW THE TUMBLR AHH I LOVE IT. I'll leave the link to the tumblr here as well! So, guys, check out the awesome fan fics being draw by the lovely Ryyuzaki~ 
> 
> I'll reply to the comments soon, I promise. Maybe in the next 24-48 hours! Until then, please do enjoy this chapter and let me know what you guys think! Thank you to those who have read, commented, bookmarked, subscribed and gave this story a kudos! Until next chapter~! -Krystal
> 
>  
> 
> My [WATTPAD](https://www.wattpad.com/user/KrystalM) account! Do check it out! 
> 
> Sam-Ryyuzaki's [AWESOME TUMBLR WITH THE FAN ARTS FOR THIS STORY](https://sam-ryyuzaki.tumblr.com/)! Give them some love! 
> 
>  

 

Dipper stared at Bill for a while, his mind unable to grasp the situation at hand. It felt like he was in a continuous nightmare, from one event to the next. The demon in front of him simply rolled his golden eye before grabbing his left wrist, dragging him back into the Mystery Shack. The mocha-brown-eyed human didn’t even flinch this time, busy letting that mere sentence sink in his head. 

It was only when Bill slammed the front door shut that he reacted, snatching his wrist from the warmer grasp, turning to look straight into the golden eye. 

“Explain,” Dipper said, his voice held the unsaid anger and confusion; two feelings that were beginning to tire him out. “Explain to me what you meant.”

“Kid—”

“Enough.” 

The hellion closed his mouth shut, his face a careful blank canvas, nothing written on it. Not as if Dipper could read him if he showed his emotions on his face anyway. 

“How did he find you?” 

“Excuse me?” Dipper gritted his jaw. “This isn’t an ‘ask a question to answer another question’ situation, Bill!”

“Kid, just answer the question,” he snapped. Dipper gritted his teeth before he sighed, shaking his head. 

“He just appeared out of nowhere.” 

Bill frowned. 

“What…come on, just tell me. What did you mean I’m going to die?” Dipper asked. The truth was, as angry as he was getting, he was also becoming fearful. It was because he felt like he had jumped into something that he would never be able to get out of alive. And since Bill was involved, he thought that must be true. 

That was scary to him. 

He had so many things he wanted to do in his life and he didn’t want to die yet. 

“Bill,” the young man said, his voice cracking. 

“You will die if you don’t listen to me,” Bill said, his voice coming out a bit softer than before. 

“You said I was going to die because of you,” Dipper pointed out. 

The hellion licked his lips, rocking his weight back and forth for a minute before he shook his head. “It’s because of the bond and the link.”

“Right,” the mocha brown-eyed man said. “That explains everything.”

“Kid, could you cut down the negativity?” Bill groused, crossing his arms against his chest. 

“Oh, I’m sorry my negativity is killing your vibe!” he exploded, tossing his hands in the air. “It’s my life on the line. It’s my life. Not like you care.”

Dipper pushed past Bill and headed to the living room, slumping on the couch with a loud groan. He stared at the ceiling, a frown etched on his lips as he let his limbs relax. He heard footsteps walking towards him before the hellion settled in front of him, sitting at the edge of the coffee table. 

“I’m not in the mood, Bill,” Dipper said, keeping his gaze focused on the ceiling. 

The demon didn’t say anything for a while, silence washing into the scene. 

“It’s because I didn’t think you were the one,” Bill said, his voice coming out quiet. Dipper snapped his brown eyes at him, assessing the hellion who was sitting hunched, his golden hair flopping onto his face, covering his eye from the human’s view. 

“He said something about being a soul match to your empty shell?” the young man asked, sitting up straight and looking at Bill. “What did he mean by that?”

Bill looked pained by that, as if that question could physically hurt him. It only served to make the brown-haired young adult even more curious. He took in a deep breath before he raised his head, gold orb meeting mocha ones.

“I can’t tell you everything, Pine Tree,” Bill said, his tone indicating that he was serious. That irritated Dipper but something about the hellion’s posture made him stop to consider that. The demon nodded once when Dipper didn’t make a move to argue with him. 

“Okay, then, tell me what you can,” Dipper said, conceding to that.

“Right,” Bill said, licking his lips. “Did you hear anything the day you stumbled onto my statue?” 

Dipper blinked at the question. “I heard a whistle.”

The demon’s face remained blank as a white canvas. No cracks on his face for Dipper to look into and see just what secrets Bill was hiding. 

“Yeah,” Bill said, muttering. “Kid, you’re the one who answered my call.”

“Your call for what?” Dipper asked. 

“My call to be set free from being tied down,” Bill snapped, his golden eye tinted red. Dipper scooted backwards until he was nestled in the cushions, trying to keep a distance between himself and the demon. 

“You were planning to come back all this while?” the young man asked, eyebrows furrowing. 

Bill grinned then, redness vanished from his eye like it was never there. Dipper was getting dizzy from just having to catch Bill’s emotions. 

“I thought I told you that you meatsacks can’t really defeat me, Pine Tree,” Bill said. He tilted his head to one side. “So I called the idiot who was supposed to set me free.”

Dipper’s face lost its colour. “I was the one.”

“You could have ignored my call, kid,” Bill said, shrugging. 

“Instead I ran towards it,” Dipper breathed out, resisting the urge to slap himself. 

But something about that didn’t thoroughly make sense. “But…why me? How was it possible I was there at the right time?”

Bill’s grin vanished, leaving behind another clean slate of mask. 

It was obvious then to Dipper as he stared at the demon with disbelief colouring his face. 

“You don’t know why,” he said. 

“Of course I know!” Bill snapped, standing up. 

“No, no you don’t,” Dipper continued. “You don’t know why it’s me or why it happened to be me!”

Bill didn’t say anything but that was confirmation enough. In fact, that only made Dipper feel even more nervous and uneasy. If the demon didn’t have any answers, then who did? 

“The mind thing?” the mocha brown-eyed man asked. 

“Why do you think?” Bill groused, annoyance colouring his voice as he turned his back facing the shorter male, deciding to walk to the shelves. Dipper looked at him, frowning as he tried to put the pieces together. 

“Wait,” Dipper said, realisation dawning on him faster than he could blink. Bill’s shoulders tensed almost as if the human was about to do something horrible to him. “Wait, you weren’t actually sure if I was the one who was—what—your other half? You thought I was just there on coincidence and so you thought it would be okay to use my mind for whatever it is you wanted to do, didn’t you! If you knew I was the one, you wouldn’t have touched my mind!”

“Why would I ever want to be near you if I can help it, Pine Tree?” Bill growled, turning around fast to stare at him. 

“Why did you need my mind, Bill?” Dipper asked. He then patted his right leg. “Is connecting our minds ended up causing this tattoo to appear on my leg?”

“If I say yes?” Bill challenged. 

“You asshole!” Dipper yelled, startling the demon a bit. “Just tell me straight why you needed my mind!”

“Why the fuck do you think I needed your mind, kid?” Bill said, his words spit out harshly. 

Dipper searched his face, clamping his mouth shut and narrowing his eyes. 

The only reason he could think of with Bill trying to use his mind was…

“Power,” Bill stated. It was one word, but that one word was filled with unspoken meaning that sent cold shudders running down his spine. 

“Power…,” Dipper tested the word out, taking a step back when he connected every dot. It made him freeze, staring at the demon with wide eyes, colour leaving his face leaving behind ashiness. “You were weak, so you needed my mind to what? Ground you here? Until you get your power back to full strength?”

“You’re not as dumb as you look,” the demon said, leaning against the shelves, shoving his hands in his black trousers pockets. 

“Then the tattoo….”

“Why do you think?” the hellion said, his jaw clenched tight.

“Don’t…tell me,” Dipper said, slowly, his heart picking up speed in his chest, leaving his palms clammy and sweaty. “It…linked us…as…soulmates?”

“I don’t have a soul, kid,” Bill said, the right corner of his lips twitched upwards. 

“Right,” the mocha-brown-eyed man said, trying to process the information in his head. Bill meanwhile kept his eye fixed on the human, narrowing when Dipper rubbed a hand down his face. 

“Figured it out yet?” 

“I can’t believe this!” Dipper exploded, his face flushing red. He couldn’t help but to drag his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out why this had to happen to him. Why had it have to been him of all people?

“I can’t be…,” Dipper said. “Is that even possible? Between a demon and a human?”

Bill licked his lips, something akin to uncomfortableness flashed on his face for a moment. 

“You don’t know,” Dipper pointed out, bluntly. A growl escaped the demon’s throat but Dipper was too preoccupied with this huge revelation of this for him to be scared of that. 

“Yeesh,” Bill said, catching the human’s attention. “It isn’t like we’re going to be bonded for too long, kid.”

“What…do you mean by that?” Dipper blinked. 

“Once I get my powers, I’ll break the bond and be on my merry way,” Bill said, shrugging. 

That…wasn’t a good plan. 

“And then what are you going to do? Destroy Gravity Falls?” Dipper demanded, taking a step closer to him, anger burning in his veins. “I won’t let you.”

Bill’s lips stretched into a smirk. He pushed himself from the shelves and took a few steps towards the young man, standing close enough that Dipper could feel his warmth washing over him. It should make him flinch like it always did but for some reason, he was content to stand here. 

It was a strange feeling. 

“Do you want to be stuck with me, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, leaning close, his voice like molten lava, deep and throaty. Dipper’s face reddened even more, the colour washing even down his neck, disappearing under the collar of his shirt. His stomach flipped, causing him to want to shift his weight from one foot to the next. 

“Fuck no,” Dipped spat out. He furrowed his eyebrows, his lips turned down into a deep frown. “The last thing I want is my life to be intertwined with you!”

Bill’s smirk dropped, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. Dipper yelped when Bill grabbed his chin, tilting his head back until he was forced to properly meet the gold eye. His heart picked up speed, making it hard for him to breathe. 

“Too bad your life span is tied to me, isn’t it?” Bill said, his voice coming out hot and poisonous, releasing Dipper before turning around to walk away. Dipper rubbed his chin, confused at the reaction before he scoffed. 

“Where are you going? Running away?” Dipper yelled at Bill’s retreating back. 

All he got in response was a middle finger in the air as Bill disappeared from his sight. 

Dipper didn’t bother to even curse at him anymore, instead he went back to sit on the couch, dropping his face in between his hands. He couldn’t believe this happened. 

Bill had called out for someone who held the soul that could match his empty shell, the one who would be his other half, the one who was meant to be with him until the ends of time. And it turned out Dipper was the one. The one who had his entire life, his life span matching Bill’s empty shell. 

And Bill, the idiot for some reason, didn’t believe Dipper was the one and thought it would be fine to link their minds to keep him from vanishing into thin air the minute he got back into this world while he gained his power back. And now, because of that link, it seemed to have triggered the bond and they were bonded. 

Bonded forever. 

If Dipper had guessed it right…there was a possibility he had stopped ageing. 

That thought was like a bucket full of ice water being dumped on him. 

He would have to watch his family die. He would be forced to step back and watch how the world go ablaze if Bill ever wanted to take over the world. He would be forced to stay by his side, not being able to love anyone else, meet anyone else. 

“But he said he was going to break the bond,” Dipper whispered to himself. Bill seemed determined that after he gained his power, they would no longer need each other. Not that Dipper needed anything from him. 

Just then he realised that Bill hadn’t answered the one burning question left floating in the air. 

What did he mean when he said he was going to be the cause of Dipper’s death?

It didn’t take Dipper that long to actually figure it out. His heart stopped beating a millisecond when that realisation dawned on him. 

“Fuck…,” Dipper breathed out in shock, dropping his hands from his face, staring at the floor with wide eyes. Panic settled deep in his veins.

He had to find out more information about this bond if he wanted to make sure his theory was right. Knowing Bill, this was highly likely and if that was it, then he had to find a way to save himself. He didn’t want to die yet and he surely wasn’t going to let Bill be the reason of his death, not when he managed to evade that when he was twelve. 

He could do it again now. 

He really needed to scour Grunkle Ford’s lab for any book that would give him the slightest clue about this. 

He stood up, not even hesitating to head to the lab.

 

***

 

Dipper looked through every journal, every paper, every book, every notebook for any clues at all about the bond. It didn’t necessarily had to be about Bill, as long as it spoke about bonds and demons in one sentence, he would take it. He didn’t know how long he had been there but when he finally found a book that seemed promising, his stomach grumbled. 

The book was big, bound by leather and a string across it in black. There was a seal on the cover of the book, like those olden days where they would stamp a seal on a red or black wax. Only this one was in gold wax and the symbol looked like a cult symbol. He frowned, wondering why Grunkle Ford had kept such a book or where he found it. 

He grabbed the book, heading back to the Mystery Shack, placing the book on the kitchen counter as he looked around for food. Guessing he had to go out to eat again, he took the book with him, taking the shortest route possible to get to Greasy’s Diner. 

Dipper made sure he wore some kind of protection charm, not like it helped the other day, and headed to the diner. Only once he was sitting at one of the booths and had ordered his food was he able to relax. He placed the book on the table, fingers grazing at the leather. 

He carefully pulled the string apart, making sure it wasn’t completely off the book and flipped it open, turning each page after skimming through it. It was a handwritten journal, cursive letters filled each paper with diagrams of some symbols at the side for examples. 

Dipper only began reading properly and carefully when one page made him stop and stare. 

It was a symbol. 

Correction: It was a page full of symbols, in different colours, different shapes. 

And he recognised one particular symbol due to the fact he had seen it once etched on Bill’s skin and now on his own inner right thigh. 

He touched the symbol, caressing it before he flipped the next page where it began explaining what each symbol meant. Dipper skimmed through until he stopped at the symbol he was familiar with. 

“The symbol of dreams,” Dipper read out loud, keeping his voice low but loud enough for him to hear himself. It made sense, he thought. Bill was a dream demon, the symbol would probably symbolise who he was. 

**_The Symbol of Dreams_ **

**It belongs to one demon and one demon only. His name cannot be spoken here but he rules the realm of dreams with his cruelty and evil greed. He is often praised and prayed to, worshipped by demon worshippers for he gives out the most generous of deals for a hefty, depressing prize.**

**The symbol represents who he is, what he is.**

**It is gold, for he bleeds gold, his greed for gold, as arrogant as one.**

**It is twisted, curled in such a way for his personality is not like any other demons’. He is manipulative, appearing to be your friend, companion, but is always ready to pry on the weakest link in your mind for secrets he could use against you. To get his way for the things he want without making you think you are being fooled.**

**He is without a doubt the coldest among all demons, to be said to be one of the most powerful, if not the powerful, demon with multiple souls in his possession from his lies and deceit.**

**If you ever encounter this demon, you would know who he is as he takes shape in the form of a triangle, taking away colour from his surrounding as it is said dreams are often in black and white. Run as far away as you can if you see him. Do not make a deal with his blue fire.**

**Do not trust him** **.**

Dipper felt something curling in his chest, tightening around his heart. 

The last line had made him remember the time when he had seen the exact same words being written in the journals. He knew he shouldn’t trust Bill and this gave him more proof that Bill was the last person to put his trust in. 

He flipped through more pages, his heart thumping loudly against his chest with each word, each sentence. 

“Here’s your food,” the waitress said, placing a plateful of spaghetti in front of him, causing him to startle and slam the book shut with strength. The waitress looked at him with wide eyes, obviously taken aback at his jitteriness. 

“Uh, sorry,” Dipper said with a weak smile. The waitress gave him an uneasy look as she nodded and scurried away, glancing over her shoulder to look at him warily once in a while. 

He eyed the spaghetti, no longer feeling hungry. 

He reopened the book, passing through the information he had read and landed on a page about bonding. 

This was it!

This was what he needed to read!

What he read next though made his throat dry and his blood run cold. His breath hitched in his throat as his grip on the book tightened. 

**_Bondings & Rituals_ **

**There have been many documented cases where cult worshipers have summoned the demon they worship for and have sent a sacrifice in the form of blood or even in the form of companionship. In other words, they have chosen one who was likely be perfect to be bonded to a demon; to either give them peace or mortality, to appease the demon they worship.**

**This ritual has been effective for many years and has to be said the only way a demon bonds with the partner that has been given to them.**

**In other circumstances, powerful demons could only bond with the creature that has soul that matches their lack of one. A ritual done by Humans could not satisfy these demons, and in fact would invoke wrath instead. These demons include the dream demon.**

**For demons with such power, there has only been one documented case of a Human being accepted by them.**

**The case notes as followed:**

**_The lights that lit up in ambience surrounding the pentagram were burning brighter than usual as our God sat in the middle, His green emerald eyes narrowed, staring each of us down until we were hanging our heads in the most respectful manner, too quaked to look at Him in his eyes._ **

**_“You have the soul that fits my empty shell with you here, do you not?”_ **

**_His voice was soft and yet it carried the upmost weight, shouldering us with the burden of hoping that the woman we have, unconscious and still pure, was the one who held the soul that our God desperately needed._ **

**_“Yes, Master,” our head priest vowed, kneeling on the altar in front of Him, his cloak hanging over his bald head. “She is the one.”_ **

**_“We’ll see,” our God murmured, waving a hand at our priest, a sign that he should stand up and walk away. After our priest has joined us, He stood up, unfolding His legs gracefully, standing with His long limbs radiating power that would send shivers down our spines._ **

**_“If this person is not the one, I will not spare a single soul,” was the promise said, sending jolts of fear into our hearts._ **

**_“We understand, Master,” our priest said, shame colouring his voice. The silence that accompanied after that was resounding and weighing. Then, we heard enchantments being murmured from the mouth of our God, each word uttered was washing over us like a blanket having soaked in the water, bathing us with the iciness._ **

**_When the words were said, something sharp came ringing in the air, harsh and irritating; the sounds becoming louder and louder until we were whimpering in pain for our eardrums were about to burst. And then, the door flung open, standing there was the woman we captured, disheveled from fighting us when we bound her. Her eyes were wide as she stared at our God._ **

**_“You are the one,” our God spoke._ **

**_“I…am?” the woman spoke, lacking of any respect. Our God beckoned her to come in and the woman looked troubled, her face scrunching up in what seemed to be in anger as she walked closer to Him, like she was forced to. “What’s…going on? Who are you?_ **

**_“I am the empty shell to which your soul fits perfectly within,” our God spoke, patient._ **

**_“Oh, what?” the woman continued, almost scorning. “What the hell are you?”_ **

**_“Your supposed lover,” our God said, his voice was low. “Come closer.”_ **

**_The woman approached our God with hesitance._ **

**_“What do you want from me?” the woman asked. “Please, let me go. My husband is probably looking for me.”_ **

**_“You are the one whom I seek,” our God spoke. “You belong to no other but me.”_ **

**_“I do not belong to anyone!” the woman yelled, shocking us to our core she would defy our God as such. “Let me go!”_ **

**_“You do not wish to be with me?” our God asked. “To be mine, solely so. I would give you everything you wanted, spend an eternity with me as mine alone.”_ **

**_“Fuck you!” the woman hissed. “You’re all insane!”_ **

**_There was a heavy silence before our God said, “If that’s how it must be. I don’t want a mere mortal as the one possessing the soul to my empty shell, either.”_ **

**_Before our very eyes, we saw the bond of the two being destroyed by our God. She screamed, her high pitch voice echoed in the room, filled with pain as she crumpled to the ground, green fire licking every inch of her body until the screams cut abruptly and she was left nothing but ashes on the ground. When we turned to look at our God, there was green running down from His eyes, His blood, His eyes merely a blank canvas. He turned His back on the ashes._ **

**_“Don’t ever contact me again,” was what He said, an echo of order that we were too terrified to defy as he disappeared in a smoke, leaving behind a smell of fire._ **

**_The bond was broken._ **

**_The soul that was supposed to complete our God had vanished._ **

**_Our God however, despite the green oozing out from His eyes like tears would on a Human, looked fine. We wondered why but we didn’t dare to ask._ **

**End of entry.**

Dipper felt his stomach clenching tight at what he had read. His fingers shook as he closed the book, his breath coming out in puffs. His eyes began to water and he had no idea what to think of what he had read. He pushed the book away, leaning against the cushion and staring at his fingers, curling them up so that it wouldn’t too visible that he wasn’t alright. 

He sucked in a sharp breath, his mind becoming a whirlwind of scenarios. 

If what he had read had been right…

If what he had read was true…

Dipper was going to die. 

If Bill broke the bond between them, and since Bill was a powerful demon, if he gained his powers back and broke the bond between them, Dipper was going to die, burnt to ashes.

It will be true then that Bill would be the reason he was going to die. 

He couldn’t take that.

He couldn’t accept that. 

So, he stood up, tossed some bills on the table and grabbed the book, took off running back to the Mystery Shack. 

He needed to find a preventive method. 

He couldn’t die. 

He didn’t want to die. 

Oh god, Bill was going to kill him. 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N:   
> .........  
> >.>
> 
> Okay. 
> 
> 1\. I'M SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE GUYS! Uni just started for me, so I really didn't have time to sit down and write anything. Heck, I didn't even have time to do much really. 
> 
> 2\. I'M SORRY FOR THE SHORT CHAPTER. I wanted to try and get something out there so it would progress already and I didn't really have time to make it the usual 4K words long chapter. ;-; I hope you guys will be appeased with the 2K one for now!!
> 
> 3\. I'll try and update soon! I can't promise when that is but it's probably not going to be in 1 month's time. Maybe within next or in the next 2 weeks time. Maybe. <3 Also, I'll get to all of your comments soon!
> 
> 4\. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING ME AND ARE PATIENT WITH ME AND OMG GUYSSSSS. THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT IM GETTING IS OVERWHELMING! THANK YOU!!!! I love you lot! <3 Thank you to those who have read, commented, bookmarked, subscribed and gave this story a kudos! Please do let me know what you thought of this chapter! Until next time~! -Krystal

 

When he walked into the Mystery Shack, the front door slamming shut behind him, he felt his knees buckling dragging him down to ground. The book clattered next to him with a thud, jarring him back to reality for a bit. He pushed himself to sit down, his back against the door as he took in deep breaths.

This wasn’t how he thought his life was going to be. 

His hands shook as he touched his hair, pushing his fingers through the strands of his brown locks, dragging his bangs backwards away from his forehead. His fingers grazed the constellation, closing his eyes tight as Bill’s face flashed into his mind. His heart squeezed when he recalled that Bill was going to sever the bond and thus ultimately going to let him die. 

He didn’t know why that made his heart feel like a thousand pounds of metal, sinking to the pit of his stomach but it did. He snapped open his eyes when he heard the voice of the demon, echoing from upstairs followed by the sounds of footsteps thudding on the floor. 

The stairs creaked before Dipper saw Bill walking down the stairs, his golden eye filled with momentary confusion. He stopped once he reached the bottom of the stairs, his hands shoved in his trouser’s pockets. 

Dipper continued to stare at him for a while before he looked away, dropping his gaze at the book next to him. Panic bubbled in him as he quickly snatched the book from the floor and stood up, placing one hand against the door to stabilise himself. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice felt like a thousand shards of glass slicing through his chest. Dipper took in a shuddering breath, letting his body to lean against the door before turning to look at the demon properly. He pressed his lips together in a thin straight line, his brown mocha eyes narrowed at the golden orb. 

“I know.”

It was only one sentence, one phrase but the weight of it was heavy in the air. Bill’s shoulders tensed and Dipper knew he realised what he meant when he heard the demon taking in a sharp breath. Bill’s golden eye landed on the book in his hands, the corners of his lips twitching to frown. Dipper pressed the book against his chest, almost like he was trying to protect the book from his gaze. 

“You know what?” Bill asked, tilting his head to the side a bit, his eye glimmering in curiosity and wariness. 

Dipper clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to bare his teeth at the hellion. “I know,” Dipper spat out. “About how you’re to let me die.”

Bill’s entire demeanour changed the second the words were out of the human’s mouth. The golden eye narrowed and his eyebrows furrowed. 

“Do you?” Bill took a small step towards Dipper before he stopped. 

“Yes,” Dipper said, trying to ignore how his head started to ache from all the thinking and worrying he had done. “Yes, I do know.”

No one said anything else for a few minutes before Bill scoffed. He pulled one hand out of his pockets, pointed to the book in his hands. “What’s that?”

Dipper knew immediately what he wanted and he would be damned if he was going to let Bill get this book. 

“No,” Dipper said, causing the demon to drop his hand to his sides, his eyebrows crawling on his forehead, hidden underneath his golden hair. 

“What’s that book, Pine Tree?” Bill seemed to decide that instead of waiting for the young man’s answer, he was going to intimidate him. He started to walk towards him, each step he took echoed frustration and fear in Dipper’s mind. 

“Stop,” Dipper snapped. Bill, startled, stopped for a split second before his lips quirked into a smirk. He shrugged and continued his way to close the distance between them. Dipper’s heart started to thump loudly against his chest, his blood draining from his face when his back was firmly pressed against the door, no way to run. “I said stop!”

“What’s the book, Pine Tree?” Bill asked again, his tone was playful, sending warning signals ringing in his head. 

“Nothing,” Dipper bit out. He flicked his eyes from Bill’s face to the stairs and realised that if he ran now, he could bypass Bill and get to this room. With that though in his mind, just as he was about to push himself off the door and make a run for it, Bill took a large step and stood in front of him, a hand shooting out to touch the young man’s shoulder. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Bill grinned, his white sharp teeth showing. Dipper’s heart stopped beating for a second as he took in a deep breath. He hunched his shoulders to try and shake the hand off his shoulder but it wasn’t working.

“Don’t touch me,” Dipper snapped, touching Bill’s hand to take it off from his shoulder. 

That gave Bill the opportunity to actually grab the edges of the book and pull it out off Dipper’s grip. The young man yelped, managing to catch the ends of the book and held it tight, glaring at the demon. Bill grinned wider and before Dipper could even react, the demon had tugged the book with enough force to release it from his grasp. 

“Bill, give it back!” Dipper exclaimed. Bill took a step back when Dipper made a swipe at the book. “Bill!”

“What the heck is this book?” Bill said, sounding curious. He flipped the book to a few pages before he froze. His golden eye remained glue on a page before he looked up to bore his gaze into Dipper. 

“Give the book back, Bill,” Dipper said, his voice coming out quiet this time, sudden wariness creeping into him at the look Bill was giving him. He dropped his eyes on the book, fearful for a second that the book was going to be burnt to ashes. 

“Where did you find this book?” Bill asked, closing the book shut and standing up straighter. 

Dipper’s mouth grew dry at the question. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said. “Where did you get this book?”

“Why do you care?” Dipper said, furrowing his eyebrows. He gritted his teeth as he clenched his fingers into fists. 

Bill licked his lips before shaking his head. To Dipper’s surprise, he actually tossed the book back to him. The young man fumbled to catch it but when he did, he hugged it tight against his chest, eyeing the demon with cautiousness. 

“So you know then, huh?” Bill took in a deep breath. 

“You’re going to sever the bond and then you’re gonna let me die,” Dipper said. He didn’t know why but that thought alone made him want to curl up and just sit at a corner, contemplate his life. He didn’t know why he was—hurt at the mere thought Bill might do such a thing. 

He was a demon, it was a given that he would be able to kill him without feeling any remorse. 

“Why else should I keep myself bonded to you for?” Bill asked, almost indecorously like the idea of him being with Dipper was perplexing. 

For some reason, that hurt even more, anger accompanying it. 

“You know what?” Dipper said. “Fuck you, Bill! Why the hell must it be you?”

Bill blinked at that, his golden eye dimming a bit as a frown etched on his face. 

“What do you mean by that?” Bill said. He took a step towards the young man, stopping when Dipper glared at him again. 

Dipper walked past by him, jogging up the stairs with the book cradled in his arms. He stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door shut, tossing the book on the bed and slammed face first on his pillow. He gathered the plush thing under his arm, closing his eyes shut and groaning into it. He had no idea what was going on with himself. 

He didn’t understand what was even happening anymore. 

Dipper wasn’t sure what he meant by what he said either. 

He turned his head to look at the book. 

The door swung open, making the young man to roll his eyes. He huffed and remained staring at the book, ignoring the presence of the demon who had closed the door and was now standing at the edge of the bed. 

“You want to be bonded to me.”

That sentence took quite some time to settle in Dipper’s brain but when it did, he pressed the palms of his hands against the bed and pushed himself up, turning around to look at Bill with wide eyes, his cheeks flushing red. 

“No!” Dipper exclaimed, flabbergasted at how the demon could have come to that conclusion. Bill, though, simply raised one of his eyebrows, a smirk on his face. 

“Really?” Bill said, leaning down a bit. “But you don’t want to be break the bond.”

“That’s because I don’t want to die!” Dipper said, blinking a few times. “I don’t want to die, okay, Bill?”

“Even if it means being bonded to me?” Bill asked, almost in curiosity as he pressed his left knee against the edge of his bed. Dipper immediately sat down and scooted away from the hellion, pressing his back against the headboard. 

Bill, however, didn’t make a move to come any closer. Instead, he sat down at the edge of the bed, allowing Dipper to keep the large distance between them. 

“Well, Sapling?” Bill said, grinning wide. The term of endearment caused a weird flutter in Dipper’s chest. His cheeks burned as he looked away, his fingers twitched to grab the book and use it as a shield between them. 

When Dipper didn’t reply or even look at him, he heard the demon sigh. The bed dipped even more when Bill flopped and lied next to him. He tossed a glance at him but he didn’t bother reacting. Silence washed in for a while before Bill turned to look at him. 

“Hey, Pine Tree,” Bill said, his hand reached out to graze Dipper’s clothed thigh. Twitching, Dipper pulled his leg away from his grasp, instead curling it against his chest. 

“Fuck off, Bill.”

“I don’t understand why you’re upset, Sapling,” Bill said. Dipper once again felt flutters swarming in his chest at the word. His face heated up, confusion welling up in his mind. 

“You’re a fucking jerk,” Dipper said. “Don’t call me that.”

“Sapling?” Bill said, almost like he wanted to taunt him. 

“Yes, that!” Dipper said, huffing his breath. 

“Why?” Bill sat up, running his fingers through his hair. Dipper’s muscles locked up when he felt Bill scooting closer to him. 

“What are you doing?” Dipper questioned, turning his head to aim a glare only to freeze in shock when he realised that Bill was close to him. It only took another two more scoots before Bill’s sides plastered against Dipper’s, causing the young man to jolt. His first instinct was to get up but before he could do that, Bill had wrapped his fingers around Dipper’s wrist, halting him. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice dropping a few octaves. That sent a weird feeling pooling in his chest, his heart skipping a beat. He looked at the tan fingers contrasting his skin. He bit his inner cheek from pulling his wrist away from the demon’s grasp. 

“Let me go,” Dipper said. 

“No can do, Pine Tree,” Bill said, tugging him closer instead. With shoulders tensing, Dipper kept his eyes glued to the bedsheets. His heart was beating loudly against his chest, his eyes squeezing shut when he realised he could feel Bill’s warmth radiating over him. Fingers touched his chin, grasping it tight and forcing him to face Bill. Snapping his eyes wide, his breath hitched in his throat when their noses brushed. 

“B—Bill,” Dipper started, voice caught in his throat. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Bill said, a charming smile on his face as his golden eye sparkled. The fingers on his chin left to dance on his cheek, before they reached his hair. He watched with battered breath how the golden eye traced his own fingers before landing on his forehead. Self conscious, he lifted his free hand to try and bat the hand away only to stop when Bill’s fingers grazed on the constellation. 

“What are you doing?” Dipper asked, his voice coming out as a whisper. Bill snapped his eye at Dipper before he chuckled. 

“You’re pretty interesting, kid,” Bill said. Confused, Dipper furrowed his eyebrows only to startle when Bill’s fingers touched the crease and smoothed it out. 

“I…,” Dipper began only to stop when he found himself being pushed on his back. He immediately touched Bill’s shoulder, trying to stop the demon from hovering above him. His face reddened, his heart picked up its pace, recalling of all the times they were in this position. A smirk crawled on the demon’s face. 

“You don’t want the bond to break,” Bill said, his voice smug. 

“What—?” Dipper said. 

“You don’t want the bond to break,” Bill said, repeating it but it seemed more like he was convincing himself. Dipper frowned. 

“I don’t want to die,” Dipper snapped, deciding to push Bill away only to yelp when Bill leaned closer until their noses were in danger of brushing and their breaths mingling. 

Bill searched his face. 

Dipper didn’t know why but he felt frozen under his stare. He looked at Bill’s face, cataloguing it for the first time since he met the human body of his. His eye colour was a contrast to his tan skin, but it was a good contrast. His hair was once again gold, like it could become white if it was under the light. It was a pretty shade, Dipper found himself thinking, suddenly feeling like he was under a trance. 

He blinked when he felt fingers grazing down his cheek before it reached his bottom lip. Dipper snapped his eyes to look at Bill, taking in a sharp breath when he saw a smile on the demon’s face. It looked peculiar on his face. When Bill bent his head lower so their noses could brush, his golden hair tickled his face. 

“If you don’t want to die,” Bill said, his voice low. 

The words felt like they were flowing into his brain easily. 

“Then be _mine_.”

Dipper’s eyes widened when Bill’s lips pressed against his. 

And Dipper’s mind blanked.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: IM BACK. FOR A BIT. Eh, this is once again a 2K chapter haha. Sorry, guys! ;-; I thank you all for understanding that I'm having university and I don't get to update as much as I used to but rest assured, I am still continuing with this story and my semester break is almost close, so! Stay tuned! I hope you guys like this chapter though! Thank you so much to those who have read, commented, bookmarked and subscribed as well as gave this story a kudos! To those who have commented: THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING AND FOR THE SUPPORT! <3 I don't think I'll be able to reply to the comments individually until I have time, so, sorry about that! Do continue to let me know what you think of this story though as it makes me happy to know what you guys thought of it! Until next time~! -Krystal

 

Dipper’s mind blanked as the press of the demon’s lips against his continued to be insistent. The youngest Pines had no idea what was happening, instead, he was stiff and frozen, unable to do anything about this. His mind whirled with what the demon had said and his heart lurched in his chest, sending a wave of weird tingling feeling down his spine. His hands raised and he placed them on the broad shoulders with half a mind to push the hellion off him. His eyes searched the face hovering above him, fluttering them shut when Bill pressed his body down against him. A breathless gasp escaped his lips when Bill pulled away, their noses brushing. 

He felt fingers caressing his cheek when he snapped open his eyes. He stared at Bill a bit longer than necessary, his heart slowing down until he could hear its beat loud in his ears. His fingers curled over those strong shoulders and he barely registered that he was lying so still underneath the demon. He let Bill huff an amused breath, fanning his lips as their noses brushed again. The fingers brushed through his hair, pushing back the locks that hid the birthmark that he despised. 

“Did I break you?” Bill whispered against him. 

Dipper didn’t know how to reply to that because half of him was convinced that he was indeed broken. 

“What…,” Dipper started, his voice barely above a whisper yet enough to get that sharp golden eye focused on him, stealing his breath. 

“Sapling?”

“Sapling,” Dipper repeated the word, a bit dumbfounded before his sense of rationalisation snapped back into him. He thinned his lips, fully aware at how hot his face felt. He then dug his fingers sharply into Bill’s shoulder, relishing in the yell that escaped the demon as he rolled away, dislodging them. Bill sat down, crosslegged as he rubbed his shoulder, blinking at Dipper who pushed himself to sit down. 

Without a word, he got out of bed and walked to the front door. 

“Hey, Pine Tree!” Bill hollered but Dipper ignored him, his mind a trance as he jogged down the stairs and headed to the front door. He snatched it open before barrelling his way out. 

And then—he ran.

 

***

 

He ran his fingers through his hair as he sat at one of the booths in Greasy’s Diner. His emotions were all over the place, his eyes boring at the table as he gripped the strands on his head, tugging it once in a while. His heart was racing against his chest as he bounced his left leg as fast as he could, nervousness and anxiousness curling together around his heart, making it hard for him to breath. 

Bill had kissed him. Again. 

And not only that, Bill had kissed him but Dipper—had liked it. 

He was admitting it now. 

He was putting it out on the table. 

He was fucked up because he had liked those pair of lips against him. 

His sexuality was now nothing but a lie as he contemplated what the hell this all meant for him. 

The youngest Pines was confused, deciding to let go of his aching scalp and slammed his forehead against the table instead. He groaned under his breath, his mind racing from one thought to the next, plucking out every single emotion he had felt since Bill showed up again and analysing them as thoroughly as he could. 

He had denied vehemently that Bill was attractive and no matter what he did, the lie turned into ash in his mouth as he recalled how Bill’s lips felt against his. How he had almost kissed the demon back if he hadn’t pulled away. And not to mention, his body betrayed him when he felt arousal stirring at the pit of his stomach when Bill pressed him down on the bed, not allowing him an inch to escape from underneath him. 

Dipper didn’t know what to make of this. 

He never felt this way about anyone before, and to think about Bill in that manner, honestly, sent shivers running down his spine. What was once in disgust was now something else and he didn’t know if he was ready to examine that piece of clouded emotion closely. 

He touched his chest, grasping his shirt in his fist as he cheeks reddened. 

Dipper sat up, slumping against the worn-out cushion of his seat. He tilted his head to look out of the windows, wondering why he had gotten himself into this mess. Why he had to feel something else for the demon that wasn’t disgust or hate. 

What did this mean for him?

Maybe he should start thinking properly, starting with the basics. 

Did he find Bill attractive? 

He did. It was obvious now that he had admitted to himself. He liked how Bill looked, from his golden hair to the way he carried himself. 

Did he like the way Bill held him down? 

He did, unfortunately. His face turned redder at that line of thought, realising he was starting to like the way Bill was stronger than him and could hold him in place if he ever wished to. But the fact he never did and often moved away the minute he noticed Dipper was uncomfortable was what Dipper—begrudgingly—liked the most. He didn’t know the demon would be like that. He was sure the first time Bill held him down, he would have kept going even when Dipper was panicking. 

But he didn’t. 

And his touches were always so soft and gentle.

Dipper stopped thinking of his touches for a second, reminding himself that it was the deal between them that stopped Bill from harming a single hair on him. Not because the hellion suddenly had feelings or grew a conscience. 

“The deal,” Dipper murmured. And then, there was the fact that Bill could kill him if he wanted by breaking the bond between them. 

Gosh, the bond. 

He remembered those dexterous fingers against his inner thigh when Bill tried to look at the symbol etched on his skin. When his fingers grazed the spot, he remembered the intense sensation almost blanking his mind completely in bliss. If he had been any weaker of a Human, he would have been incoherent, unable to pull himself together that fast. 

Bill looked a bit happy, excited at the prospect Dipper didn’t want to die, which in Bill’s book it seemed was equivalent to him admitting that he wanted to keep their bond. 

He certainly did not. 

And yet, he didn’t know why it hurt him when he found out that Bill would break the bond if it would mean he was free. For a second back then, he almost blurted out, ‘So my life means nothing to you?’ and he winced, debating what Bill’s reaction would be. Probably laugh to his face and a cruel smirk. His heart squeezed at that thought. 

Dipper, though, couldn’t shake the feeling that that wasn’t what Bill would have done. 

And the fact he kept Dipper away from the other demon and saved him quite a few times, even hugging him in the process once; this was all so confusing to him. 

Could demons even feel?

He frowned. 

What about him? What did he feel for Bill?

Was he gay?

He would be lying if he said that the thought never crossed his mind but he knew he liked girls as well. 

Bisexual?

Dipper frowned deeper. When he had been fifteen, he had found out such thing existed and he felt like he could identify with being a bisexual. But he had removed that line of thought immediately when he started having crushes on girls more than boys and thought that it was just a fluke on his part. But this was proving otherwise. 

Defeated, Dipper sighed. 

Now, his heart. 

He could listen to it but his mind told him to not do it. That no matter what he felt for Bill, it still remained that it was only the deal between them that kept Bill from harming him. The demon knew no mercy and he wouldn’t start with a boy who tried to banish him for good. 

“You think quite a lot.”

A hand landed on his shoulder, jolting him away from his thoughts. He snapped his head and widened his eyes when he saw Bill, standing near his table, leaning forward as he had one hand against the table and the other on his shoulder. Dipper immediately dislodged his hand and scooted until his back was pressed firmly against the wall and window. Bill huffed a breath as he straightened himself, turning to sit on the booth before once again twisting his body to face the youngest Pine. 

“What are you doing here?” Dipper asked, curling one leg against his chest almost like a shield between him and the demon. His heart picked up pace as Bill leaned against the cushion of the booth, grinning. His golden eye gleamed in a way that made him want to squirm at where he sat. He resisted that urge, however, knowing that Bill wouldn’t let that go. 

“You were thinking about me too much,” Bill said, sounding pleased. “So, I came.”

Dipper choked down the weird noise bubbling at the back of throat at that. “I wasn’t thinking about you.”

“I felt the tug, Pine Tree,” Bill drawled, obviously not believing him. 

Dipper glanced at the table, unable to meet the demon’s gaze now that he felt exposed. He couldn’t even think in peace about his feelings for Bill without the hellion showing up. He hunched his shoulders closer to his chest as his heart continued to beat loudly against his chest. He could still feel Bill on him, his weight pushing him down, his soft touches on his face and through his hair and he shuddered. He glanced at the demon, who had lost his smile and was watching him with a curious look on his face. 

“What?” Dipper snapped, embarrassed. 

“You’re still thinking about me,” Bill said. He furrowed his eyebrow, looking a bit perplexed and confused like Dipper had managed to surprise him. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“What?” Dipper asked. 

“Stop tugging the link,” Bill retorted though it didn’t sound as harsh as Dipper suspected the demon tried to make it be. 

“I’m not tugging any stupid link!” Dipper growled. “Go away! Leave me alone! Haven’t you done enough?”

“Done what?” Bill scooted closer and grabbed onto Dipper’s leg when the youngest Pine tried to kick him. His fingers wrapped around his ankle and held his leg there. Dipper tried to sit up straighter, tugging his leg out of the demon’s grasp but failing when Bill wouldn't let go. 

“Let me go,” Dipper gritted out. 

“Sapling,” Bill said and his voice was uncharacteristically soft. Dipper bit his bottom lip, narrowing his eyes at the demon.

“Stop doing that,” Dipper hissed. “Stop acting like that. Stop touching me!”

This time, Dipper managed to snatch his leg out of Bill’s grip. 

“Move,” Dipper demanded. But Bill remained seated, flexing his fingers before he curled them into a fist and slammed them against the table, startling the youngest Pines. 

“Okay, enough,” Bill said. “You’re thinking too loud.”

“Is that it?” Dipper said. Bill frowned. “You just came here to say that?”

“You called me here, Pine Tree,” Bill seethed, irritation flashing in his golden eye. 

“Well, I’m asking you to leave me alone now!” Dipper exclaimed. Before Bill could open his mouth, Dipper had started to scoot his way out of the booth. The only problem was that the fact Bill didn’t move an inch, instead when Dipper tried scooting his way between Bill and the table, the demon reached out and wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging him down. 

The young human gave out a short yell as he fell on his ass, landing straight on the couch while one of his legs flew up and pressed against the cushion to stop himself from rolling and falling to the ground. Bill pulled his arm away but he pressed his hand on his hip in the next second, making sure that Dipper remained where he seated which was almost on the demon’s lap. 

When the position he was in registered in his mind, he began to struggle, stopping when a hiss escaped Bill’s lips. Dipper, wide-eyed, stared at the demon for a second before he frowned. 

“What?” Dipper said. “What the fuck do you want, Bill?”

He took in a sharp breath when Bill’s free hand touched his face. His first response was to turn his face so that the touch wouldn’t linger but then his chin was tugged until he was looking at Bill’s face again. Irritation and anger burned within him as he stared head-on in defiance. 

“Do you or do you not want to remain bonded with me?” Bill asked, his voice was low and serious. 

Dipper’s heart stuttered to a stop for a second as he sucked in his bottom lip. He couldn’t avoid Bill’s eyes even if he wanted to now. The demon’s thumb pressed against the edges of his lip and pulled it out from between the young human’s teeth. He caressed the bruised flesh, causing Dipper to close his eyes. 

“I don’t want to die,” Dipper mumbled, opening his eyes so he could look at the demon. 

“Then, be mine,” Bill said, repeating the same words he had said before he kissed him. Dipper frowned a bit, touching Bill’s wrist and pulled it away from his face. The demon allowed that though he looked a bit frustrated. 

“You don’t know what that means,” Dipper said. The words were spoken carefully as he catalogued Bill’s reaction. 

“I do know what it means,” Bill protested. 

“No, you don’t,” Dipper said as he sighed, rubbing his face. “Do you have any idea what that means? I’m not a possession, Bill!”

Bill grinned sharply for a brief moment before he shrugged. “It’s simple, Sapling. Be mine and you can be alive or you don’t be mine and you die.”

“That’s hardly fair!” Dipper exclaimed. “You can’t blackmail me like that!”

“I’m a demon, Pine Tree,” Bill said. 

“Like you haven’t drilled it into my head a million times already,” Dipper spoke. “It’s hardly fair I have to be yours, whatever the fuck that means because it obviously don’t mean what I think it means, just so I could stay alive.”

“You’re the one who answered my call,” Bill stressed out, his golden eye flashing in slight anger. “You were mine from the moment you answered me.”

“I didn’t know I was answering you!” Dipper said. “We can’t be together, Bill.”

Bill rolled his eyes and pulled away, getting out of the booth. Dipper blinked at the sudden movement. The demon ran his fingers through his hair, avoiding the strands of hair that covered his other eye. “I’m giving you an option to live and you’re rejecting it.”

“You know why!” Dipper said. He waved his hands at the demon and the back at him. “I don’t want to be tied down with someone— _something_ that can’t love.”

Bill barred his teeth, his eye momentarily bleeding into red before they returned back to gold. “You meatsacks and your emotions.”

That angered Dipper, the way that the hellion tossed that sentence at him so casually. He bit his inner cheek and looked away, running a hand through his own hair. “This is why I don’t want to be tied to you.”

Bill didn’t say anything for a while before he felt him sitting next to the youngest Pines again. “Do you need it?”

Dipper’s cheek reddened, glancing at Bill before he huffed his breath. “What do you think?”

Bill snorted under his breath. He didn’t say anything else for a while but when he did, it was by swinging his arm across the youngest Pines’ shoulders and dragging him close. Squawking at the sudden movement, Dipper pressed a hand on Bill’s thigh to stop himself from falling face first on his lap. His body lit up briefly at the touch of those fingers at the nape of his neck while he sat up, looking at Bill. 

“What are you doing?” Dipper said, his throat drying when Bill tugged his chin upwards so that their faces were inches awayfrom each other. 

“If that is what you want so you would remain bonded to me,” Bill said, his voice low enough only for Dipper to hear. “I can do it.”

Dipper froze as that settled in his mind. 

Was Bill suggesting what he thought he was suggesting? 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot!
> 
> A/N: I am back. For a moment. Hahaha, I keep apologising to you guys for the late updates but yeah. Thank you guys for the wishes for my university! I appreciate it! It warms my hear to know you guys understood! Without further ado, here's the next chapter! I'll admit, I had no idea what I'm doing. I have a vague plan in my head on what's going to happen for the next five chapters or so but actually executing it? I have no idea what I'm doing haha. Also, thank you guys for the awesome, encouraging comments! You guys are awesome! Sorry I couldn't reply to you guys! It gets so overwhelming and I just couldn't reply ;-; But please know I appreciate every single comment and I'm sending my love to every one of you! <3 Hope you guys like this chapter anyways (I think it's a bit meh but) and hopefully I'll update real soon! (Kind of). Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter! -Krystal

Dipper remained staring at Bill for a few seconds before he frowned, ignoring the way his heart was thundering against his chest. 

“Demons can’t love,” the youngest Pines spoke. “They can’t _feel_.”

Bill didn’t say anything for a few second as his golden eye trained on those brown ones. His lips then curled up into a smirk, a hum escaped his lips as his grip on Dipper’s chin tightened a fraction more. The shorter male searched his face, doubt blooming in his mind as his body jolted at the touch. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, his voice lower than before, a whisper. “I’m not like any other demons.” 

Dipper blinked at that, his heart fluttering at the admission. Before he could reply, Bill detangled himself from him and stood up without much trouble. It was when Bill was out of the booth that Dipper realised with clarity that they were still outside. Cheeks blazing, he held back a groan as he scooted out of the booth and stood up as well, tossing a glare at the hellion, who had an amused look on his face. He tossed a few bills on the table before he pushed past the demon to get out of the diner, curling his trembling fingers into fists as he took one long stride after the other, his mind carefully blank. 

He heard the pitter patter of shoes behind him, and with a glance over his shoulders, he noted that Bill was following him. He bit his inner cheek from shouting and yelling at everything and anything—frustrated with himself and the predicament he found himself in. His life was in literal danger if he refused Bill and yet, he didn’t want to tie his life with him either. He didn’t want to let Bill control the string of his fate, connected to the deepest and darkest parts of his minds. 

If only he hadn’t gone to the forest, he wouldn’t have been in this mess. 

A bitter feeling crawled in his chest as his eyes burned, his shoulders slumping as he continued to walk. A wash of urge to run overcame him but before he could do just that, Bill had caught his shoulder, causing Dipper to stumble a bit as he snatched his shoulder from the grip, turning to seethe at him. 

“Leave me alone,” Dipper spat out. “Just leave me alone, alright?”

Bill raised his eyebrows before a huff escaped his lips, his hand dropping to his sides. Irritation bloomed on his face, enough to signal Dipper that he was at his wits ends about this too. 

“Yeesh,” Bill said, venom dripping from his voice. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem?” Dipper said, narrowing his eyes. He then waved his arms around, gesturing wildly in a manner that would have looked crazy if it wasn’t from how tense he felt. “My problem is you, Bill!”

“I gave you an option, you stupid meatsack,” Bill hissed, his teeth barring as his canines sharpened. “It’s not that hard.”

“I don’t want to be with you!” Dipper said. “I don’t want to love you. I don’t want you to love me! You tried to kill me a few years ago, Bill. Have you forgotten what you tried to do?”

Bill stared at him, looking as frustrated as Dipper was feeling. He rolled his eye, a scoff dropping out of his mouth, lighting up the anger in the youngest Pines even more. He took a step towards the demon before stopping, close to throwing a punch out just so he could watch him wince in pain. Knowing that the hellion would laugh in the pain than give him any other satisfaction, Dipper turned around, ready to storm off. 

“Didn’t I tell you I’ll do it?” Bill said, his voice echoing in Dipper’s mind, halting him. “What else do you need?”

Dipper turned around once more, gritting his teeth. “Saying you’ll do it and actually loving someone are two different things. It’s not in your nature. You’re not Human. You find pain hilarious, Bill!”

“Pain _is_ hilarious!” Bill exclaimed. “I’m a demon, Pine Tree. I find pain and misery funny and top-notch comedy material.”

“ _See_? This is what I’m talking about!” Dipper pointed out. “I hate you. I despise you. I wish you stayed as a stone.”

“Oh, get over it,” Bill murmured under his breath. “I’m here. We’re tied, get the fuck over it.”

“I will find a way to break the bond, Bill, mark my words,” Dipper said, his voice coming low. “And when I do, it won’t be me dying.”

“You would rather risk your pathetic short lives than to be stuck with me,” Bill said.

“I would rather do that, yes,” Dipper insisted. “Because believe it or not, you’re not one of the people I would want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Silence washed over them afterwards as Dipper continued to keep his eyes trained on the demon. Bill looked away, his eyebrows were furrowed and a frown etching on his lips. For a second, Dipper wondered if any of his words hurt him before he shook that thought away. A demon didn’t have the capacity to feel besides joy at pain, just like he had said. He doubted being tied to him, a Human, were things he would be joyous about as well. 

“Besides,” Dipper continued, finding himself wanting to add more reasons to why this was a bad idea between them. 

Bill looked at him then, attention caught when Dipper broke the silence. His shoulders were tensed as his eyes sharpened, his lips curled further downwards as if he was waiting for a blow. The reaction caused the youngest Pines to hesitate before he took in a deep breath, knowing that what he was doing was right. Dipper was saving himself from a world of trouble and being entangled with Bill in any other way was a wrong thing to do. 

“Besides,” Dipper soldiered on. “You still haven’t told me anything that I wanted to know. I can’t be with someone who won’t tell me what’s happening. Hiding secrets, lying; those are the traits I don't want in my life partner.”

He winced at how sappy that sounded coming out from his mouth but it was still the truth. He hoped that would deter the demon. He looked to the ground, waiting for the obvious reply he knew he would get every time he asked about the matter. 

“Unless you really want to die, right here, right now,” Bill said, his voice held a hint of cautiousness to it that alerted Dipper. “I can’t tell you.”

The youngest Pines sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment before he nodded. He looked up once he opened his eyes, keeping a firm stance. 

“Yeah,” Dipper said. “And that’s also one of the reasons why I can’t be bonded to you.”

He didn’t wait for Bill to argue as he walked away, each step he took felt heavier after the next and for some reason, he felt this wash of sadness that overwhelmed him. It made him falter in his steps and his eyes stung. Confused at his feelings, he glanced over his shoulders, surprise mixing in the midst of the emotional mess when Bill was no longer standing there, having disappeared into thin air. 

Dipper frowned, shaking his head as he wiped his eyes with the tips of his fingers. 

He knew Bill. 

It was better this way.

 

***

 

He didn’t expect the demon to be at the Shack when he returned; but he was, just lying on the couch in the living room, staring at the ceiling. Dipper hovered at the entrance of the living room before he decided not to disturb the demon and heading upstairs. He felt tired to the core of his bones. He wanted nothing more but to slump face first on the pillow and sleep for days. His emotions were haywire, and he didn’t know what else to do. 

Dipper admitted that Bill would make an attractive man. He would have liked to be with him if he had been Human, if he hadn’t threatened to ruin his life—if he hadn’t traumatised him. 

But this was Bill and at the end of the day, he was a demon who kept so many things from him. He couldn’t even figure out how to let the past go either if he was to agree to this bond between them. He thought of Mabel, his Grunkles and he thought of his parents, his life. It just seemed like he was risking too many things for a fleeting feeling that he was sure would die if he stepped out of Gravity Falls. 

He would be lying if the thought of Bill being able to control his emotions hadn’t crossed his mind but he also knew that these emotions were his. These were his thoughts. They weren’t Bill’s and he had been controlled before, he knew that this was his own consciousness. 

And that terrified him. 

His eyes caught on the book that started this emotional turmoil, sitting on the bed. His cheeks reddened as he remembered how warm Bill had been on him, his strength as he kept him trapped underneath him and his lips against his own. Dipper grumbled under his breath as he walked to his bed and sat at its edge, raising his legs to hook at the sides, rubbing his face as he hunched his back and stared straight ahead. 

“What if I forced you?” Bill’s voice rang into the room. 

Too tired to react, he let that settle in his mind as he turned his head to look at his bedroom doorway, watching Bill leaning against one of the frame, arms crossed. There was a thoughtful look on the demon’s face that would have irritated Dipper if he still had the energy. 

“I will exorcise your ass back to Hell, demon,” Dipper shot back, feeling his guards dropping as he dropped on his bed to his side, looking away from Bill.

He heard laughter and for some reason, that relaxed Dipper. He frowned, his heart picking up speed as he tossed a questioning glance at the demon before looking away. 

“You meatsacks are weird,” Bill said, murmuring, almost like he was talking to himself. 

“Yeah, it’s not like I wanted to see your face again, Bill,” Dipper snarked, irritation once again blooming in his chest. 

“And you’re the last person I thought would be tied to me, Pine Tree,” Bill said with a snort. 

Dipper’s heart stuttered a beat before racing in his chest. He tried to keep a neutral face as he moved to his back, taking care not to lie on the book. He heard Bill moving closer before he stood at the side of the bed, looking like he was hovering. The youngest Pines wondered why it was they always ended up in his room like this but he forgot that line of thought when Bill sat at the edge, causing him to raise his eyebrows at him. 

“Don’t touch me again,” Dipper warned. 

Bill turned his body, crossing his legs as he raised his hands, a roll of his eye as an exasperated look appeared on his face. Dipper watched him warily for a few seconds before he was satisfied that the demon wasn’t going to do anything fishy. 

“I can’t tell you most of the things you want to know,” Bill said, his voice sounded soft in his ears, a jarring difference from just now. “But I can tell you one or two details about this.”

“This?” Dipper questioned, not bothering to look at the demon, convinced he was fooling him. 

“The bond and why I called out to you,” Bill started before he stopped. 

Dipper looked at him then, watching the blank look the demon was wearing. A brief thought flashed in his mind as he contemplated if the demon was uncomfortable. A smile appeared on his lips at that, mildly amused before he dropped it once Bill caught his eyes. The once tense shoulders relaxed as a sharp grin took over his handsome face, startling Dipper out of his thoughts. The back of his neck and ears heated up as he looked away, clearing his throat. 

“What for?” Dipper questioned, confusion once more trekking back into his mind. “What happened to the whole ‘I have to kill you if you find out’ thing?”

Bill huffed, sounding a bit perplexed. “You’re the one who wanted to know!”

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows before he sat up, turning his body in a slight angle to focus on him. “But why?”

“Why?” Bill questioned back before he rubbed a hand down his face, shaking his head. “First you demand I tell you the truth, storm off and almost die multiple times when I don’t. When I do tell you, you look at me like I’m trying to bite your head off!”

“Well, maybe that’s your motive!” Dipper exclaimed, his tiredness starting to be forgotten. “Why now?”

Bill’s face blanked even more if it was possible, his eye filled with guarded thoughts. He felt a sudden subtle pull in his mind and he shuddered, clutching the sheets in his hands as he squinted. 

“What are you up to this time, Bill?” he questioned. 

Bill remained silent for a few seconds before he said, “I was growing weaker. I needed a mind to anchor myself so I would be able to regain my full powers again. But I was bound strong in that stone and I was already weak. I couldn’t escape unless I call to the one who compliments my shell and free me.”

It took a second before Dipper realised that Bill was explaining why he called out to him. He blinked, astonished that the demon was sharing something without being prompted to. 

“And that was me?” Dipper asked. 

“You answered my call, kid,” Bill pointed out. “Didn’t think it was you until—”

“The mark,” Dipper finished for him, squirming a bit as his cheeks bloomed in red, acutely aware of the symbol in his inner thigh. He sighed, running his hands through his hair. “So, we’re what? Soulmates? A human and a demon?”

Bill looked a bit sick at that notion. “Soulmates is such a meatsack name for it.”

“Then what do you call it?” Dipper snarked, rolling his eyes. 

Bill grinned once more, his canines glinting a bit. “Just mine.”

That name washed over his body in a way that sent shivers running down his spine. His body felt hot as he shifted where he sat, his fingers now digging into the sheets, his throat drying. 

“I thought I told you I’m not a possession, Bill,” Dipper said though he sounded less fiery than before. Which irked and terrified him but he didn’t ponder long, not willing to be completely defenceless around Bill. 

“That’s still a fact, Sapling,” Bill said with a shrug, his golden eye twinkled in amusement. 

Dipper wanted to argue but found that he couldn’t, the nickname always managed to stump him. 

“Don’t call me that,” Dipper snapped.

“I’ll call you whatever I want, Pine Tree,” Bill said, his grin fading with the amusement, leaving behind the nonchalance that Dipper hated. 

“Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?” Dipper repeated his question, wanting to stir away from that particular line of discussion. 

Bill avoided his eyes for a moment and it didn’t take long before Dipper connected the dots. He took in a sharp breath, searching the hellion’s face before he looked at his hands, a lump forming at the back of his throat, feeling conflicted at this new found of information. 

“You’re really adamant on keeping this bond between us,” Dipper whispered under his breath. 

Dipper knew he wouldn’t respond to that so he wasn’t surprised when Bill didn’t utter a word. 

He didn’t know why Bill was pushing to keep this bond. There was a part of him that thought it couldn’t just be because he needed something to keep him from disappearing in this plane of existence. Yet, Dipper didn’t linger on that thought, deciding not to question in case he didn’t like the answer.

Not for now, at least. 

“So, you used my mind,” Dipper said. “To anchor yourself here in this plane?”

“I’m not going back to the Mindscape without getting my full powers back,” Bill growled. “I’ll be damned if I returned there weak.”

He let that settle in his mind before he shook his head. Dipper had suspected something like that at first but it was a whole different matter when Bill confirmed it. 

“You’re just using me, then,” Dipper said, the words tasted bitter in his mouth. 

“ _Was_ ,” Bill said. “Not like I can leave you now even if I want to without killing you, Pine Tree.”

Dipper sighed, looking at the demon and catching his eye. “Then…about Alfred.”

He noticed how Bill’s golden eye immediately darkened at the mention of the name and there was a hint of red in the iris. He knew then that he should thread this conversation with caution. He opened his mouth to question but closed it when Bill blinked, his expression changing as his eye turned completely red. 

Dipper didn’t have time to ask the reason behind the sudden change in demeanour before Bill had pushed himself out of the bed, standing up with his stance straight. He looked at the direction of his window before a growl escaped his lips, stilling a few seconds later. 

Confused and a little intimidated, Dipper pushed himself to stand as well, taking a step back from his bed. 

“Bill?” Dipper questioned. “What’s going on?”

Something was obviously happening for Bill to have his guards up. Dipper saw a hint of gold creeping up his neck from the collar of his shirt, a clear sign that the demon was angry. 

_Could it be?_

“Stay here,” Bill said, throwing the order over his shoulders as he moved to leave the room.

“No, wait, where are you going?” Dipper asked as he followed the demon, stopping when Bill turned to look at him, annoyed. 

“I said _stay_ ,” Bill groused. “No matter what happens, don’t take a step outside of the Shack. Do you understand me, Pine Tree?”

“What? Stay here while you run off to whatever heck is happening?” Dipper asked, incredulously. “No.”

It alarmed the youngest Pines when he saw the flash of something akin to worry in Bill’s eye. It rattled the chains wrapped around his heart, tempting him to follow the demon anyway for the sake of satisfying his curiosity and to appease this feeling in his chest, seizing within him. 

“No, Pine Tree, don’t argue with me,” Bill said as he took a few steps towards Dipper. “Not this time.”

“Why do you look like that?” Dipper questioned, realising he looked tense and angry, reminding him of the time Bill looked close to murdering him back in the forest. Immediately, his heart raced against his chest, only this time, it was fuelled with fear. He took a subtle step back, gasping when Bill let out another growl, snapping his head to look at the direction of his bedroom door. 

“Bill?” Dipper questioned, warily.

Bill glanced at him, his eye remained red before his lips twitched upwards in a brief smile. Before the confusion could set in, Bill took a long step forward and grabbed the back of his neck. Panicked, Dipper tried to move away, starting to struggle when the demon placed his other hand over Dipper’s eyes. 

“Bill!” 

“Sorry, Sapling,” Bill said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You can’t put yourself in trouble again this time.”

Dipper opened his mouth to argue but his mind had started to become fuzzy and hazy. His limbs lost its coordination and the tiredness he thought he lost came back in full force. His knees buckled, vaguely aware that there were strong arms gathering him against a warm source before his feet left the floor. His eyes slipped close as his back hit something soft and his head pillowed by something comfy. 

Something brushed against his forehead and Bill’s voice whispered in his ears as his mind shut down, his body relaxing involuntarily as the sleepiness surged through him and dragged him into the darkness. 

“Stay safe, Sapling.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. 
> 
> A/N: I HAVE UPDATED. NO. I HAVE NOT DIED. I HAVE RETURNED!! Hahaha, wow, it's been so long since I updated! I blame university and whole lot of life drama! But hey, I'm back with an update! I also outlined this story out so I know where it's heading to and guys, I have figured it ALLLLL out. So, get ready for a ride! 
> 
> Also, GUYS THE HECK 900+ KUDOS???? THANK YOU SO MUCH OMG HAHA. I can't believe it reached this much!! Thank you so much to those who have commented, gave this story a kudos, bookmarked and subscribed! I hope to start posting quicker now that I'm on vacation. Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and until next time~! -Krystal

 

 

In a darkened room, unable to see anything, floating in a space—it was scary. 

Dipper touched his neck, his entire body flailing as he tried to grasp onto something to keep him anchored. But there was nothing to touch. 

There was only this void. 

He was— _scared_.

Breathless, awake and yet unable to hold back the urge to scream because of the loneliness.

The voice escaping his mouth was muffled. It wouldn’t echo. It wouldn’t resound in a way that it should. 

Panicked, confused, Dipper wanted out. 

He wanted out of this place.

_Let him out!_

Air rushed into his lungs as the surrounding of his snapped into focus and the darkness vanished. His heart thumped harshly in his chest, his body sluggish. Vision sharpening to the ceiling of his bedroom, his mind blanked for a blissful second before reality crashed into him. A sob caught in his throat as his eyes filled up with tears, blinking them away as they slid down his temples. 

His chest was tight. 

He tried to take in a deep breath. A part of him forced him to remember that he wasn’t dying. But the thoughts wouldn’t form, not when the loneliness felt real. Not when his entire world dimmed into blackness and he tasted a life of darkness. 

A hand touched his forehead causing him to flinch. He snapped his gaze to the person sitting on the bed next to him. He took in a shuddering breath when he saw the familiar face of the demon currently imposing in his life. A rush of relief washed into him. Dipper tried to push himself to sit up, managing to succeed. Without thinking much, he wrapped his arms around Bill’s shoulders and dragged him into a tight hug. 

The demon tensed in his arms for a few seconds before hands touched his body back, pulling him close. Dipper placed his forehead against Bill’s shoulder, taking in a deep breath as he tried to collect the pieces of his reality. Fingers ran through his messy hair. Dipper was vaguely aware that this was calming him down. 

It was also then he realised that he was shaking slightly. 

For a few minutes, the warmth that circled him pushed the loneliness away. He sighed, his shoulders slumping once some sense of rightness crawled back into his mind and clicked into place. If he had any energy left, he would be embarrassed of the situation he found himself in. But for now, he was somewhat grateful that Bill didn’t say anything and just held him. 

“This doesn’t change anything,” Dipper murmured as he pulled away from Bill. 

The demon searched his face before a hand touched Dipper’s cheek, tilting the head upwards a bit almost as if he was being inspected. A second later, Bill’s lips twitched into a smirk. Dipper slapped his hands away, letting the remaining tendrils of tiredness drag his body to lay on the bed again. 

“You look tired, Sapling,” Bill said. 

Dipper rolled his eyes, rubbing his face. His heart lurched in his chest when the term of endearment settled into his mind, redness blooming on his cheeks. It was then he realised something was amiss. He sat back up, his vision blurring from the sudden movement. He snapped his head to glare at Bill, whose smirk faltered into an amused and confused smile. 

“You asshole!” Dipper yelled. “What the hell was that? What happened?”

To Bill’s credit, he tilted his head to the side, his smirk widening on his face once more as his eye glinted in recognition. 

“You should be thanking me, Pine Tree,” Bill said as he poked Dipper’s forehead. “I saved you from trouble— _again_.” 

Dipper suppressed the flinch as he scowled. Confused, he touched his forehead and rubbed the place Bill poked. 

“What trouble?” Dipper hissed. “I didn’t give you permission to put me to sleep, Bill!”

Bill shrugged, crossing his arms against his chest. “Just trouble.”

A headache formed at the back of Dipper’s head. “Here we go again.”

“No, really,” Bill said. “It was just some things I have to take care of. And it’s been taken care of.”

Silence washed between them. Dipper let that sentence hang in the air, looking at Bill’s face. There was something on the demon’s face that warned Dipper to not push this subject. Whatever problem Bill had taken care of was just that— _taken care of_. A part of the youngest Pines itched to know all of the secrets the demon was holding back from him. 

“Okay,” Dipper said, at last. 

Bill blinked, looking taken aback at that before his shoulder slumped and his head lowering. Dipper’s lips twitched into a brief smile before he stopped himself. He shifted his body, uncomfortable when he realised he was getting too relaxed with the demon beside him. 

Had he forgotten who Bill was?

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, his face heating up as he recalled Bill’s touch on him a moment ago. He glanced at the hellion who had raised his head to look at him, the eye trained on him was curious and calculative. 

“I’m still feeling a little tired,” Dipper blurted out as he lay on his back flat on the bed once more and turned to his side, back facing the demon. “Go away.”

His heart raced in his chest, his throat drying. 

Dipper, for the lack of better term, was surprised when he heard nothing, the small dip on the bed disappearing the next second. He turned his head slightly, looking over his shoulders, pushing on his elbows to sit up in an angle when he couldn’t see Bill in the room. 

He left Dipper alone. 

Like he requested him to. 

“What?” Dipper whispered under his breath. 

It was unusual feeling, to know that he was listened to. Bill didn’t do anything weird, instead, had listened to his request. 

He bit his inner cheek from analysing this situation, counting his blessing that the hellion had decided to do something he asked to for once without fuss. 

He sighed as he lay his head on the pillow. 

Sleep came fitfully for him. 

 

***

 

He was wary of Bill the next time he woke up. The feelings inside him was a mess and he was starting to accept how weird the situation between them had begun to feel. Two sworn enemies—stuck together because of some cruel fate linking them both. But what was once a dreadful thing to experience, Dipper’s thoughts on this began to change. 

Slowly. Surely. 

And it scared him to want to never admit to these feelings. 

Bill had been puttering about in the living room while Dipper hid in the kitchens, munching his dry cereal while holding his bowl full of it, leaning against the kitchen counter. He still felt tired despite the long hours of sleep he had. Even after a short shower and fresh clothes, he was feeling stuffy. Like his skin was too tight on his body and he wanted to get out of it. 

No longer hungry, he placed the bowl on the counter, pushing himself away from it. 

Maybe he should get out. Get some fresh air. Clear his head so he didn’t feel—suffocated. 

The youngest Pines took a few steps out of the kitchen, stopping for a moment as he wondered if he should notify Bill of his quest to leave the house. 

“Hey, Bill, I’m leaving the house for a few minutes,” Dipper said, letting his voice carry to the living room. 

Bill would surely find him if he never told him. It wouldn’t make a difference anyway if he kept this to himself and left the house or told Bill where he was going. The demon had a knack of hunting the brown-haired man. And he wasn’t in the mood to deal with his strop when it came down to it. 

He waited for a response, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. When he was met with nothing but the silence, a frown etched on his lips. He walked to the living room, glancing the area, confusion settling into his mind when he couldn’t find Bill. 

He was sure that Bill had been in the living room a moment ago. 

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, a sigh escaping his lips. 

Without bothering to look for Bill, he walked away, taking a step outside of the house, the front door slamming shut behind him. The breeze that hit his face had him shivering a bit, instantly melting away the tiredness that had lingered in his bones from hours ago. With a brief smile on his face, he jogged down the few steps and started walking to the town. 

No matter how many times he had been in trouble, no matter how many times this place had put his life in danger, like a moth attracted to the lights, he found himself drawn to it again and again. It was a part of his life now, he supposed. A life without _this_ life would have been a life not worth living to him. 

And if he died—it would probably be in this place too. 

He stopped short, his entire body freezing when that thought entered his mind, his blood running cold. 

There was a high possibility that that would be the case. 

He wasn’t even sure how he was going to leave Gravity Falls right now, not when he had Bill attached to his mind, body and soul. 

Would that mean he was trapped here?

He furrowed his eyebrows, the thought became a nagging worry the more he let it linger in his mind. He curled his fingers into fists, his shoulders tensing. The sudden urgency of not being able to see Mabel, his parents or even his Grunkles again was enough to strengthen the once disappearing goal in his head. He had to get out of here—he had to figure out a way to break the bond. 

The youngest Pines refused to let Bill’s face flash into his mind, deciding to resume walking into the town. The air around him that felt refreshing a few seconds ago served as a reminder of the situation he found himself in. He wasn’t going to feel sorry for himself any longer. 

Instead, he was more determined than ever, despite his latest discovery to his feelings to the demon, he was getting out of this place. 

The town was quiet today, Dipper noted, as he walked past shops. He wondered if the town’s people were going to throw another festival or event. He huffed a breath, walking past the hardware shop. Wandering around aimlessly was good enough for now. It would have to do until he was ready to get back to the Shack. 

A part of him wanted to check his surroundings to see if Bill was following him. He glanced over his shoulders, a frown crossed over his lips when he didn’t find the hellion. The demon had been acting weirdly since a few hours ago. 

Dipper didn’t want to ask. 

Not when he had a feeling it had to do with this—thing—between them.

“Whatever it is,” Dipper whispered under his breath. 

He was about to stop walking, realising he was reaching the ends of the town when his eyes landed on a shop, small and quaint between shop lots. Dipper was sure it wasn’t here before, wary of it. In this town, anything was possible. He turned his body to look at the parlour, interested at the way it looked slightly whimsical with the dangling chimes and orange-black colour scheme. 

Alarms bells went off in his head the second his eyes landed on the ‘Welcome’ sign. A part of him told him to retreat, take a few steps back and pretend like he never saw the shop. Meanwhile, the smaller, curious part of him wanted to explore where it came from and what it had to offer. 

Dipper decided to listen to the part of him that told him to walk away. 

This once, he wasn’t in the mood to get into trouble. 

He turned around, about to take a step away when the bells to the door chimed, before a voice stopped him. 

“Hey!” 

Dipper turned to look at a girl, her orange hair tied in a high ponytail and her green eyes gleaming in amusement. Her ruby-red lips stretched into a smile, looking warm and inviting. 

“Hey,” Dipper said, confused. 

“I saw you standing out there!” she said, her voice chirpy. 

Dipper faced her, raising his eyebrows as he stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets. “Yeah, I was just leaving though.”

“Oh, don’t you want to check what we have to offer?” she questioned, tilting her head a bit. “We have all kinds of cool stuff!”

Dipper hesitated to answer her, not sure what they actually sell. The urge to run away from the place was slowly getting replaced with the need to stay and figure out what they had. A hum escaped his lips before he shrugged, smiling a bit at her. 

“What do you guys sell?” he asked. 

The girl brightened at that, as if she had been waiting for him to ask. She turned around to walk inside before tossing a, “Come in! Let me show you!”.

He held his breath and followed her inside the shop, letting the door chime as it closed behind him. Entering the cool environment, the first thing he saw was the bottles of weird things in them with herbs and whatever else on the shelves against one side of the shop. It had a cosy feeling to it though, a kind that Dipper liked. 

He found himself relaxing in the atmosphere. 

“I’m Bella, by the way,” the girl said, looking at him, a smile still plastered on her face. 

Dipper smiled back, a bit wider. “Dipper.”

Bella nodded, her cheeks reddening a bit. Dipper looked away, feeling his own face heating up. He pulled a hand out of his pockets and ran through his hair. 

“So, these herbs, those things that look like potions,” Dipper said, trying to latch onto a conversation topic. “Is this a Wiccan shop?”

“Yes, yes it is!” Bella said. “We sell a lot of cool things in here. Promised to help.”

Dipper nodded, though he had no intention in buying anything. He wondered briefly if Bella would know how to ward off demons but he doubted they had a way specifically for a demon bonded to him. 

“It’s a nice store but I don’t think I’ll be buying anything,” Dipper said. 

“Ah,” Bella said, giggling with a hint of nervousness. “That’s fine then.”

“Do you mind the shop alone?” Dipper said, changing the subject. 

Bella nodded, tapping a finger on her chin. “Well, actually, my boss minds the shop with me but he’s not here at the moment.”

Dipper opened his mouth to continue the topic of conversation when Bella cut him. “Hey, where do you come from?”

“Sorry?” Dipper questioned, blinking. 

Bella’s cheeks became rosy when their eyes met. “Well, I mean, you don’t seem like you stayed here. Like, you don’t have that weird flare everyone else here has.”

He searched her face, feeling oddly warm underneath his skin at the way her smile dimmed into something softer as she took a step close to him. Dipper was aware then the attention he was under. He shifted his weight from one foot to the next, glancing to the polished wooden floor to her, wondering what he should do.

He had a few girls hitting on him as he grew up, but he never really got to reciprocate. 

Dipper didn’t know what to say. He usually got like this when any advancement was made by the opposite sex—or even the same sex, he was on the fence about this at the moment. 

“I’m actually kind of new to this town,” Bella said. 

“Yeah, I’ve never seen you around here,” Dipper replied, nodding.

He cleared his throat, hoping he didn’t sound nervous. 

“Yeah, I would actually really like to get used to the town,” Bella said. “And you seem like a nice person!”

Dipper’s face heated up, trying smile and hoping it didn’t come off as awkward. He knew he failed when Bella giggle, her laughter ringing in his ear in a way that made his face redden even more. 

“I—guess I’m a nice person?” Dipper said, shrugging. 

There was a brief silence between them before Bella took in a deep breath. She looked Dipper in the eyes, the words rushed out of her mouth. 

“I was just wondering if you would be free sometime tonight to show me around the town?” 

Dipper let that question, the request, sink into his mind. He knew what she was aiming for from how her face was red, her bottom lip being chewed on and her eyes filled with guarded hope. The youngest Pines hesitated to answer her, but here a girl was, who seemed to be nice, peculiar in a way that Dipper thought would keep him interested, asking him out. 

He thought about Bill and then stopped himself.

Bill didn’t own him. 

He didn’t want to be in this position in life where everything he wanted to do—wanted to try was done with Bill’s consideration. No. That was not how he wanted to live his life. 

He refused to accept the part of him that crowed at how stubborn he was being. 

“Okay,” Dipper said, smiling when she grinned widely. “Okay, yeah.”

“Great, that’s great!” she said. “Uh, seven tonight then?”

He nodded, watching her carefully as she huffed a breath in what seemed to be relief. 

A date. 

With her. 

It was then the door chimed, indicating that another person had found the store. Dipper’s body tensed when he heard a familiar drawl, venomous and edgy at the same time. 

“There you are,” Bill said. 

Dipper held his breath, his heart thumped loudly against his chest once. The flutters that swarmed in his stomach had him standing stiff, his eyes dropping from Bella to the ground. Something akin to _guilt_ washed into him before he frowned, willing that emotion to fade away. 

He owed Bill nothing. 

They weren’t—whatever they were. 

If he chose to accept Bella’s invitation, it was with the idea that he was going out with her as a single man. 

But that thought only served to make him _guiltier_. 

He felt a hand touching his shoulder, fingers dragging down to his elbow before they wrapped around him in a vice grip. Dipper winced, twitching his body in an effort to dislodge the demon’s hold from him but it made the fingers tighten even more. 

The youngest Pines glanced at the hellion from the corner of his eyes. Bill wasn’t looking at him. On the contrary, he was looking at Bella, his jaw clenched tight and Dipper knew without having to look at his face that the golden-haired non-human would look like he wanted to murder someone. 

It was just the inkling he got mixed with the slight pull he felt in his mind. 

A little panicked at the situation going on here, Dipper cleared his throat, breaking the tense atmosphere. 

Tossing a glance at Bella, whose face paled under Bill’s scrutiny, he tugged his arm from Bill’s grip in an effort to catch his attention. 

When the golden eye caught his brown ones, he said, “What are you doing here?”

“What does it look like, Pine Tree,” Bill said, grinning sharp and unamused. 

“Stalking me is what it looks like,” Dipper shot back. 

Bill’s grin faded into a thin line before he let go of the brown-haired man’s elbow to grab his wrist a second later. Without another word and a glare tossed at Bella, the demon pulled Dipper out of the shop. The shorter male tried to keep up, tripping a few times as his shoulder started to ache a little from how fast Bill was walking. 

“Bill!” Dipper yelled, trying to get the demon to stop walking for a minute. 

But no matter how much he tried, the taller man kept going. He didn’t know what put the demon in a strop but he didn’t like this one bit. He held back from flinching when Bill finally let him go the second they entered the area leading to the Mystery Shack. The demon turned around then, his face arranged in anger, his golden eye accusatory. 

“What?” Dipper huffed, reaching to rub his hurt wrist. “You didn’t have to drag me away so rudely. I was busy talking to Bella.”

He furrowed his eyebrows when Bill’s eye narrowed, a scoff escaping his lips. 

“ _Bella_ ,” Bill drawled her name out in a way that had Dipper’s stomach clenching. “Tell me, Pine Tree.”

“Tell you… _what_?” Dipper said, taking a small step back when Bill started to advance towards him. 

Bill’s lips twitched into a smile, dangerous and wicked on his face. It didn’t look pleasant, not one bit. A promise to cause harm, a promise to cause mayhem—those lips portrayed such a message. Refused to be intimidated, Dipper stood his ground, breath hitching in his throat when Bill stood close in front of him. He held back a yelp threatened to escape his lips when Bill roughly grabbed his jaw with his right hand, tilting his head upwards a bit so they could look at each other properly. 

“Tell me,” Bill hissed, his voice lowering. “Have you forgotten that _you_ _belong to_ _me_?”

Dipper’s heart thundered at that. What was once used to be a sentence that would make him want to punch Bill across his face, and honestly, he still wanted to, now was inflicting this flame, warming the bottom of his stomach. 

“I’m _not_ yours,” Dipper hissed back. “Never have been _yours_.”

The grip on his face tightened a fraction, enough to serve as a warning to him. Dipper became alarmed—wondering if Bill would actually hurt him despite the pact. The demon had threatened to do so a few times. Maybe this would be the time he would actually carry that threat out. 

And that scared Dipper. 

And this suspicion hurt him. 

Bill searched his face for a while. 

“You have _always been mine_ ,” Bill said, each word was spoken with conviction. 

Dipper stared at the demon, watching him with bated breath at what he would do next. The grip on his face loosened and then the fingers were brushing against his skin, caressing him. Redness bloomed on Dipper’s face as he found himself staying still, letting the hands to touch his face and feel his skin. Almost as if a whispered apology conveyed through the touches. 

“What are you doing, Bill?” Dipper asked, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Bill’s once dangerous smile softened but only a second before they turned into a smirk, confident and arrogant. The fingers on his face rearranged to cradle his jaw. 

“You’re not going,” Bill said. “If you take one step outside the Shack tonight, I promise you, I’ll _kill_ her.”

Dipper’s eyes widened, the words snapping him out of this reverie. He pushed the hand away from his face, taking a step back to stare at the demon. 

“What?” Dipper exclaimed. “What has she done to you to warrant that?”

Bill frowned, dropping his hand to his sides. “If you think for one second that I’m going to let you go out with a tramp, you got another thing coming.”

“Hey!” Dipper said, irritation bubbling within him. “You don’t even know Bella. Don’t call her a—a—tramp!”

Bill took a step towards him to which Dipper mirrored to take a step back. 

“You. Are. Not. Going,” Bill said. “I will not hand you over.”

“I’m not something to hand over!” Dipper said, rubbing his hands down his face. “I can make my own decisions, Bill. I don’t need to ask any permission to go out with anyone.”

“Don’t fucking test me,” Bill said, his voice dark, catching Dipper’s attention. “Don’t test me. I swear, she will be found dead with her limbs torn apart from her body if you leave tonight.”

“You can’t be serious,” Dipper breathed out, in shock at how much this angered the hellion. “Bill! She’s innocent!”

“One step outside tonight with her,” Bill said, tilting his chin upwards in a sign of defiance, his grin appearing on his face in a malicious amusement. 

“And if I deem her as one of the people you can't touch because of the pact?” Dipper questioned. 

Bill’s grin faltered. “ _Try me_.”

Dipper didn’t know what was happening. He didn’t know why this caused such an uproar. He chewed his inner cheek, wondering how he was supposed to get out of this. Bill couldn’t imprison him tonight just because he didn’t like something. Plus, Bella was a nice girl. And even though they were going out later, it didn’t mean something more was about to happen. 

He just met her!

Just—what the hell?


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. 
> 
> A/N: Hello hello! I'm back with a new chapter! I'm hoping the chapter after this would serve as a chapter that reveals almost everything completely to everyone and Dipper. Until then, enjoy this chapter! Thank you so much for those 'welcome back' comments! I am very happy to be back haha I missed you guys! Hope you guys like this chapter, and thank you again for your continuous support! It means a lot to me and it keeps me writing! Thanks for the comments, kudos, bookmarks, reading and subscribing! We're like so close to 1000 kudos omg. Eeee! Okay, let me know what you guys thought of this chapter and until the next~! -Krystal

 

Dipper stared at Bill, unable to comprehend the weird creature in front of him. A part of him was, undeniably, gleeful at the fact he was being stopped. But that was clearly the irrational part of him for the rational side was not having any of this. 

His words, however, were not forming in his mouth. Whatever retort he had come up disappeared as he watched the golden eye staring down on him. Challenging him to argue back. The youngest Pines shifted his weight from one foot to the next, frowning in confusion and irritation. The demon’s touches burned into his skin, distracting him from the task at hand. 

It wasn’t like he wanted to go out with Bella. It was just the fact he could probably spend the night away from Bill and this craziness—a moment of normalcy had him accepting the invitation for dinner. Yet, here Bill was, the exact thing that had turned his world upside down standing before him and refusing to let him go. 

He shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets, shaking his head as he sighed, shoulders slumping. 

“I have zero idea what’s gotten into you,” Dipper murmured, raising his eyes so he could catch Bill’s gaze. “But you can’t control me. You have no control over what I do. What I want to do.”

The answer obviously displeased Bill when his shoulders tensed. “You don’t know what you’re doing, Pine Tree.”

“I know _exactly_ what I’m doing, Bill,” Dipper retorted. “I’m going on that date with Bella.”

“Pine Tree—”

“And you will not harm her,” Dipper said, cutting him off with a hiss. “Not if you want me to keep this bond between us.”

That shut Bill up, his mouth clicking closed, his eye widening as surprise washed over his face. Dipper watched his face contort to multitude of expressions before settling into one; anger. An anger that was more towards him pouting than a blinding rage that the youngest Pines was fearful of. He let out a small breath when he didn’t get any backlash, relief washing into him. 

“You want to keep the bond?” Bill said, his voice barely above a whisper. 

Dipper’s body tensed, letting the question to settle in his brain. 

Did he want to keep the bond?

He bit his inner cheek from vehemently rejecting the notion of it, not when he couldn’t completely agree to it. He didn’t want to say anything else though, so he settled with a one-shoulder shrug. Bill’s eye searched his face, his body relaxing in a way that told Dipper he was marginally pleased with the lack of rejection. 

Did that mean Bill wanted to keep the bond between them as well?

His heart fluttered in his chest at that line of thought. 

Resisting the urge smile, ignoring the warmth that crawled into him after that realisation, he dropped his gaze to the ground, staring at the grass. He huffed a breath before he ran his fingers through his hair, tossing a look at Bill as he decided to head back into the Shack. Bill didn’t stop him as he walked passed by him, taking a step into the house. He closed the door behind him and headed to the stairs, knowing he should probably look for something better to wear than just his hoodie, shirt and jeans. 

Dipper scowled when his eyes landed on the demon sitting on his bed, cross-legged when he walked into his room. 

“I don’t like her,” Bill said, his voice was blank, but held a strength to it that faltered Dipper from walking any further to his cupboard. 

Dipper looked at the hellion and raised his eyebrows. “And why don’t you like her?” Immediately after, he added, “No, don’t answer that. You’re a demon. You don’t like anyone.”

Bill scoffed, his lips dragging up to show his teeth. “I like you, Sapling.”

Dipper’s cheeks reddened, his heart skipping a beat. He looked away, keeping his focus straight at the doors of his cupboard, ignoring the way the heat crawled from his cheeks down his neck. He reached the cupboard and pulled the doors open, his mouth too dry to retort back. Shifting his attention to the clothes he had hanging in here, he contemplated on which shirt would look good on him. 

He held back a yelp when fingers grasped on his right shoulder, nudging him to turn around. He took a step behind when his face almost collided into the chest, his back plastered against the cool wood. Bill leaned in close, removing his fingers from his shoulder to press against the cupboard door. Boxed in, Dipper took in a sharp breath, lifting his chin as a sign of deviance—a sign that he wasn’t intimidated at whatever the demon was trying to pull.

“What are you doing?” he questioned, clapping his back mentally for keeping his voice steady. 

“I don’t like her,” Bill whispered, the words that rolled out of his mouth sounded smooth. “Don’t go.”

“Bill,” Dipper retorted, furrowing his eyebrows. 

“Something isn’t right with her,” Bill insisted. 

Dipper clamped his mouth shut when Bill touched his cheek with his free hand, his elegant fingers grazed down the skin of his cheek, reaching the bottom of his lip. Every touch left Dipper feeling like he was on fire, the heat as if permanently branded into his body. He stopped breathing a millisecond when the thumb traced his bottom lip, pressing into the flesh before they dragged to touch his chin, tilting his head backwards. 

For a while, he was lulled with how Bill looked, his golden eye shimmered in something soft, his face relaxed and when the demon bent down just so their noses were in touching distance, Dipper found himself touching the wrist that was holding his face. He felt like he was tranced. And yet, he didn’t want to leave. The warmth that was washing over him made him want to stay. 

“Don’t leave,” Bill said, his voice was once again soft, pleading even. “I have a bad feeling about her.”

Dipper frowned for a second, watching how serious the demon looked. He knew that while Bill would be incorrigible, his warnings had never been wrong. His stomach squeezed as lead formed in his veins, chilling him to his core at what the creatures of Gravity Falls had planned for his demise this time. 

“But Bella,” Dipper said, his voice quiet even to his own ears. 

Something about them, almost touching besides the hand on his face, was making Dipper want to speak in a lower volume. It was intimate, quiet. 

“She’s not who she says she is,” Bill said, his golden eye flashing once. “Please, Pine Tree. Don’t go.”

Dipper didn’t know what to do, what to say. How could Bella be someone she wasn’t? 

“What’s wrong with her?” he said. 

Bill didn’t answer him, merely closing the distance between them. Dipper’s brain short-circuited when he felt lips against his. Soft, demanding, it took his breath away. His heart felt like it could leap out of his chest, diminishing his will to fight back. Dipper knew he shouldn’t do this. The last time Bill kissed him, he had freaked out and ran out. 

But he didn’t find the same panic curling within him now. Instead, he let his body relax and tilted his head to slot their faces together perfectly. He closed his eyes and kissed him back, his fingers that circled around Bill’s wrist loosened to reach for the golden hair. Running his fingers through the surprisingly soft locks, he pull the demon closer to him, their bodies touching in every angle. 

The kiss wasn’t as heated as it could be, merely a mash between their lips before they slowed and Bill pulled away, forehead pressed together for a second. Dipper opened his eyes, taking in a sharp breath when he saw the hellion so close to him. Their eyes met and he saw a ghost of a smile on the taller man’s face. 

Heat bloomed at the pit of his stomach as he blushed red. He slowly untangled his fingers that were buried in the golden hair and dropped his hand. The fingers on his face was cradling his jaw and caressing his cheek in a manner so soft that it had left Dipper aching for more. 

Silence between them was calm, thin, ready to be broken. Dipper licked his lips, breaking eye contact, unsure of what to make it now the moment ended. He didn’t push Bill away and he didn’t want to. The part of him that wanted him to relent started to take over. 

He felt safe here.

He felt like he was wanted. 

And Dipper liked it. 

He fluttered his eyelids closed briefly before he snapped them open, taking in a shaky breath in. 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Dipper said, his voice hoarse. “What’s wrong with her?”

He looked at Bill and noticed that he was looking back at him with a strange look on his face. There was something like hesitation covering his features before a smile etched on his lips, making him look younger than he had any right to look. With a burning red face, Dipper cleared his throat, placing a hand against the strong warm chest, pushing Bill away from him a bit. 

The demon relented, dropping his hand from the youngest Pines’ face, increasing the distance between them. A small swell of disappointment at the loss of warmth echoed in Dipper’s chest but he chose to ignore it. He crossed his arms against his chest, waiting for the demon to answer him. 

“She isn’t who she says she is,” Bill said. “I can’t put my finger on it. But I don’t want you anywhere near her.”

Dipper sighed, tilting his head to the side a bit. “She seemed normal to me.”

Bill’s lips turned downwards, his eyebrows furrowing. “Pine Tree, for just this once, can’t you trust me?”

The brown-haired man shook his head, bringing a hand to cover his face. “You know why I can’t, Bill.”

“Oh for fuck’s sakes,” Bill growled, his voice tight. “You are so fucking stubborn.”

That sparked irritation within him. “And why do you think I am the way I am?”

“That was years ago,” Bill said. “This is now!”

“You tried to kill me just recently, Bill!” Dipper exclaimed, dropping his hands to his sides. 

The warm, fluttery feeling he felt vanished, replaced with exasperation and waves of anger. 

Bill scoffed, turning his head to the side. “That was just an intimidation tactic to get you to agree to the deal.”

“Oh, wonderful,” Dipper snarked. “What the hell is wrong with Bella? Are you sure something’s wrong with her?”

Bill snapped his gaze to him, lips thinned. “What are you trying to say?”

The brown-haired man saw tendrils of red slithering into his golden eye. Dipper hesitated to continue on with this line of argument, but he didn’t want to back down. He wanted to push Bill until he got his answers. He was sick of not knowing anything and had to wait until Bill would disclose it when his life was in danger. 

Dipper gathered all the courage he had left and straightened his posture, taking a step towards the hellion with determined eyes. 

“I’m saying,” Dipper started. “Are you trying to stop me because Bella is really off or because you’re _jealous_?”

Bill went deadly still at that, his eye narrowed as his gaze sharpened. Dipper held his attention even though he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. It felt like an eternity before Bill took a step towards him, hand shooting out to grab the back of the shorter male’s neck. The long fingers buried into his hair, dragging him by force close to the demon. Dipper immediately placed both of his palms against the broad chest, holding his breath as his eyes widened, their proximity lessened almost nothing now. The demon pulled his head back a little to meet their eyes dead on by his hair. Dipper hissed in slight pain but didn’t complain, aware that he wasn’t protesting to the slight pull of his locks. 

“And if I am?” Bill said. “And if I am jealous, Sapling, what are you going to do about it?”

Dipper’s heart threatened to collapse in his chest. His knees were already weakened from the kiss, he didn’t know how much of this he could take before he actually ended up on the floor. He tried not to look nervous. But he knew he failed the second Bill smirked, wide on his face as satisfaction curled in his eye. 

Slightly panicked this time that Bill was about to kiss him again, Dipper blurted out, “I’m still going on that date.”

Bill froze. 

“You can’t be serious,” Bill hissed, pushing Dipper away harshly. “After all that I’ve said!”

Dipper winced at the anger and if he dared to guess, hurt, in the demon’s voice. “Look, you said it yourself, you can’t put a finger on it. It could just be you…being _territorial_ and there’s actually nothing wrong with her.”

“Do you want to _die_?” Bill shouted, his voice loud. 

Dipper wanted to curl in on himself at how terrifying Bill sounded. He curled his shaking fingers into fists as he tried to keep a stand, but his mind had already begun to race, pleading him to get out of there before he angered the demon even more. 

It was making him dizzy at these emotions he was experiencing, changing faster than lightning. 

“I don’t,” Dipper whispered. “But I also want a night out with someone, Bill. And…frankly, you have no claim on me whatsoever besides a bond I never even consented to! I want to go out with her, and I will! It’s only for one night, Bill.”

Bill was heaving, his breaths coming out in harshly, his shoulders tight. 

“Just for one night,” Dipper repeated. “It’s just dinner. Nothing more. I promise.”

He didn’t know why he was even explaining this to the demon but he wanted Bill to understand where he stood with this. All he wanted was someone else to talk to. He could call Mabel, sure, but he wanted to physically hang out with someone tonight. He was taxed with everything and anything wanting to get to him since he got here. 

But it didn’t calm the demon like Dipper expected it to. 

“You know what?” Bill gritted out. “ _Fine_. Do whatever the fuck you want. But I _swear_ , Pine Tree, if you get yourself in trouble tonight, I will _not_ hesitate to make you _regret_ for not listening to me.”

Before Dipper could ask what he meant by that, Bill had disappeared from his sight. 

The youngest Pines stared at where the demon had once stood, not liking the warning Bill left behind. 

Maybe he should cancel and stay home. 

Dipper sighed and shook his head. 

No, he couldn’t let Bill intimidate him like that. 

And if he was right that there was something wrong with Bella, it gives him more reason to go out with her. He needed to find out why she triggered the demon. 

He tried to convince himself that maybe the demon was jealous. 

And then he dismissed it. 

Regardless how Bill had acted, there was no way the demon could _feel_ like he felt. 

There was no way. 

His lips tingled as he closed his eyes, his cheeks blooming red. 

Yet the kiss he received told a different story.

 

***

 

Bella was _nice_. 

She was funny and it was nice hanging out with her, Dipper conceded. But he couldn’t shake off Bill’s warning. He wondered if the demon was watching them from somewhere afar or if he really left them alone. Dipper had gotten dressed and left to meet her for the night with a sense of doom bubbling at the pit of his stomach. He found himself wanting to return to the Shack the second he saw her. The only reason he didn’t flee was because he wanted to prove to someone, anyone, Bill maybe, that this was something harmless. 

They had dinner at a small restaurant nearby where the Wiccan shop was located and now they were just walking around. There weren’t many people on the streets. Dipper guessed they would rather spend their night inside their house. 

He was beginning to regret agreeing to go out with Bella. 

He bit his bottom lip, looking at the ground, his neck heating up when he recalled of the kiss he shared with Bill. 

“Dipper?” Bella said, bringing him out from his thoughts. 

“Huh? Yeah?” Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, his smile tight on his face. “Sorry, got lost in my thoughts for a second there.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Bella said, a weak smile on her face. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing!” Dipper said, too quick for his liking. 

And he knew Bella noticed the reluctance as well when her smile was wiped from her face. Bubbles of guilt formed within him as he looked away from her. He wasn’t being a good company right now and he couldn’t find it in himself to care, if he was being honest. 

Maybe this was a bad idea after all. 

“Alright,” Bella said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“I’m sorry,” Dipper said, sighing. “I’m not a very good company tonight. Maybe I shouldn’t have said yes to this.”

Bella shrugged but it was clear she was disappointed when she jutted her bottom lip and her shoulders slumped. Not knowing how to fix the situation he landed himself in, Dipper didn’t say anything else. They continued to walk in awkward silence before Bella took in a deep breath. 

“So,” Bella said. “I heard many rumours about Gravity Falls. Especially about the things that reside in the forest.”

Dipper perked up at that topic. He could do this. He knew about the weird things that went on in this place, maybe that could be his saving topic. 

“Oh yeah,” the youngest Pines said. “This place—is pretty weird.”

“Oh yeah?” Bella said, a grin on her face. “Have you explored the forest?”

He hummed under his breath. “Yeah, you could say that I’m the adventurous sort.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Bella said. “Have you actually found any ‘creatures’ people talk about residing in there?”

Dipper didn’t feel comfortable answering that question. He felt this compulsion to not tell her anything. Instead, he shrugged, smiling at her without answering. Bella huffed her breath. 

“Since this is such a boring date,” Bella said, causing Dipper to wince. “Let’s go test that theory out!”

Dipper froze, and stopped walking. “What?”

Bella turned to look at him, eyes wide. “What? You said you’re the adventurous kind. Why not?”

“It’s just…it’s late. And people say it’s best to not go into the forest at night,” Dipper said, nervousness blooming in his chest. 

Bella tilted her head to the side a bit. “Are you saying that you’re scared?”

The youngest Pines blinked at the accusation. “I’m sorry?”

The girl just grinned, looking a little mischievous. “You’re scared. That’s why. You don’t actually believe what they say, do you?”

“No! No, of course not!” Dipper said, defensively. “And I’m not a coward!”

“Well, if you’re not, then let’s go pay the forest a visit,” Bella said. “Unless you know, you _are_ a coward.”

He was not a coward. 

He just didn’t want to venture out in the forest this late at night. But Bella didn’t know the things he had gone through and if he continued to refuse—wouldn’t that look suspicious? A lump formed in his throat, Bill’s warning flashed into his mind. A shiver ran down his spine but he successfully managed to repress the reaction he had to that. 

“Fine,” he said, his stomach making knots. 

Bella grinned again, her eyes sparkling in excitement. “Awesome, let’s go!”

Dipper didn’t get to say anything else when she grabbed his hand and started running directly towards the forest. He wondered briefly if he should let Bill know where he was heading to. He stopped though, knowing that the demon had already looked like he would kill Dipper where he stood when he left. If he told Bill where he was, he didn’t think the reaction would be in his favour. 

Besides, Bill had to be watching them, right?

Dipper was still safe, somehow. 

_Maybe_. 

Panic only started to seep into his skin when Bella had let his hand go once they were entering the forest. Dipper held his breath as he followed her into the woods. He heard crickets chirping and sometimes leaves ruffling from the wind. He shivered, rubbing a hand down his arm to generate heat. 

Regret was becoming a prominent feeling. 

Bella continued to walk ahead of him, not even glancing to see if he was following. 

“Bella, there’s obviously nothing in here,” Dipper said, trying to inject some humour. 

Bella didn’t answer him and that sent flutters of wrongness in him. He stopped walking after a while when he realised that they were a tad too far from the edges of the forest. 

“Bella, maybe we should turn back around,” Dipper suggested. 

Bella stopped walking then. Dipper became unnerved when Bella didn’t turn around to look at him. 

“Bella?” Dipper whispered, standing up straight. 

It was silence for a while, no sound was made. 

Something wasn’t right.

The girl slowly turned, taking Dipper’s breath completely when he saw her face. Her eyes were now completely black with red slits, her body posture straight, cocky. She then grinned, her teeth sharp. 

Dipper knew he was in trouble right there and then. 

“The fuck?” Dipper whispered, taking a step back. 

“It was too easy to fool you,” Bella said, her voice deep. “My master wanted you. And since he couldn’t do it with that demon _pest_ hanging around you…”

She trailed off but Dipper got the gist of it. 

Bill had been right. 

Something had been off with her. 

“ _Master_?” Dipper questioned, his voice squeaking. 

He struggled when he felt a hand touching his shoulder. The grip tightened and another hand reached out to touch his eyes, his back against someone’s chest. His heartbeat quickened as he felt hot air washing over his right ear. 

“Well there,” the familiar voice said, a dark chuckle accompanying the words. “Finally got you.”

Dipper only took a second to connect the voice to the man who was holding him captive. “ _Alfred_!”

“Knew you were smart,” Alfred spoke. “Now, let’s call your demon here, shall we? Let’s end this once and for all.”

“ _Bill_ ,” Dipper whispered, his mind going on overdrive. 

Oh no, this couldn’t be happening! 

Bill had warned him and here he was. Plus, he was caught by Alfred of all people! Bella had been a trap all this while to lure him into Alfred’s hands. He felt like an idiot. Just when he thought nothing could get worse than this, something jolted through his body, as if an essence or an electric spark. 

“Let’s call him out to _play_ ,” Alfred whispered.

Panic overwhelmed his senses when something sharp delved into his head. Pain bloomed behind his eyes, his body taut as he tried to struggle away from the grip that was holding him captive. It was brutal, whatever it was that was forcing itself into his mind, touching everything and violating the space he called his own. A scream bubbled in his throat as a sharp echo of hurt overwhelmed his senses to the bottom of his spine. The scream escaped his lips, loud, sharp. 

He blacked out. 

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. 
> 
> A/N: I had fun writing this chapter and a little bit of light has been shed on the mystery hahaha Happy New Year's to you guys! Hope you had a splendid first month of 2019 and hope this year will be a better one! 
> 
> Thank you guys for sticking with me so long and wow, 1000+ kudos man! That's super exciting and just, thank you! Thanks for the comments, kudos, bookmarks and subscriptions and also for the reads! Hope you guys like this chapter and until the next one~! -Krystal

 

 

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was the huge pain, throbbing at the back of his head as if someone had hit him with something. A groan escaped his lips, his vision blurry. The only thing he could register at the moment was some blobs of colour, dark and unfocused. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, realising he was breathing harshly. Slowly, one spot on his body lighted up in pain before the next, mapping out his entire body with soreness. He tried to move but his limbs felt heavy. Rolling his head, he came in contact with something rough behind him, grazing his back. 

Dipper snapped open his eyes, forcing himself to look when he realised how wet it felt as well. It took a few times of blinking but when he was able to register his surroundings, he felt his stomach squeeze as nausea rushed through his body. 

Swallowing the urge to vomit, he shook his head a little, tears burning in his eyes. 

“Look who’s awake,” a voice said, cutting through the fog in his mind. 

He forced his head to look at the direction where two figures stood. He recognised the shorter one, his heart stopped beating a second. He gritted his teeth as he struggled a little, pulling at his arms. He froze for a second, his wrists hurt when he tried to move them. It was a few more tugs before he began to feel the tightening sensation around his chest, legs and shoulders. 

He was tied up. 

“At last!” Bella’s voice echoed in the quiet, breaking the tenseness in the air. 

The youngest Pines froze, the voice washing over him was like a death sentence, settling in his mind with a burden so heavy, it made him breathless. Bill’s face flashed in front of his eyes and fear, pure unadulterated fear crawled into his veins, making itself known. 

He was so dead. 

The sound of grass crunched under feet as they moved closer to where Dipper was, sitting tied up against a tree on the forest grounds. And with each step, Dipper knew he was getting closer to his demise. He wondered briefly if Bill was aware what had happened to him, but another part of him blamed himself for this. 

He should have listened to Bill. 

Why hadn’t he listened to him?

A huge wash of emotion, primarily the feeling of uselessness rooted itself in his mind, anchoring his pride down. Fingers touched his head, causing him to snap his gaze up, squinting when the back of his neck ached. Alfred stood before him, a smirk on his face and his eyes glowed green, making him look sinister. Dipper didn’t like how this situation was looking for him at the moment. 

He struggled again, trying to get the ties around him to loosen, but only successfully managed to reign himself closer to the tree, as if the more he struggled, the tighter it got. But he didn’t want to give up. He remembered what had happened before he passed out. 

Alfred did something to him, but whatever it was, he knew that it was something to do with this bond between him and Bill. 

A shiver ran down his spine. He tightened his jaw and narrowrd his mocha-coloured eyes when Alfred crouched down, one knee on the ground. His gloved fingers grasped Dipper’s chin and tilted his head a little so they were looking eye-to-eye. 

“Your _demon_ ,” he said, almost spatting the words out with malice. “It’s been a while and he hasn’t come looking for you.”

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, confusion worming into his mind. 

Alfred forcibly turned Dipper’s head to the left and to the right, angling his head as if to examine him. “He was so protective of you. And now, he’s not coming after you.”

The youngest Pines didn’t think that was the case. 

He desperately hoped that wasn’t it. 

He sneered, baring his teeth as he tried to shake off the hand from his skin. Alfred only hummed, amusement lingering in his eyes as he tightened his grip for a second and then let Dipper go. He stood up, shoving his gloved hands into his trousers’ pockets. 

“Never in a million years had I suspected Bill Cipher to have a mate,” Alfred said, his tone dripping in disgust. “A _Human_ , at that.”

Dipper made a face at the word ‘mate’. He wasn’t Bill’s mate. 

But he was his bonded, nevertheless. 

Were those the same thing?

The brunet looked at the grass, refusing to let that thought anchor in his mind. Not when he had his safety hanging by a thread. A few tendrils of panic coiled at the pit of his stomach as he wondered where Bill was. 

“How long?” Dipper asked, his voice came off hoarse. 

“How long have you been out?” Bella said, chirping with her high-pitched tone. “About five hours.”

Dipper winced at her voice, clenching his jaw as self-hatred washed over him. 

How could he had been so stupid?

It had been five hours. His heart started to beat quickly, his mind briefly blanking as dread seeped into his veins. 

It had been five hours and Bill hadn’t shown up. 

Why wasn’t Bill coming to get him?

He wanted to hunch his shoulders, to make himself look smaller. 

“If he doesn’t show up, what then?” Bella asked. 

“He _will_ ,” Alfred said, his voice terse. “I doubt he would want to let this human die just like that. It would be too easy.” He grinned then. “And Cipher doesn’t like easy.”

Dipper felt a chill running down his spine. 

“Why are you doing this?” the youngest Pines couldn’t help but to ask.

Alfred stopped moving, quirking an eyebrow. “Has Cipher said nothing to you?”

Dipper clamped his mouth shut, refusing to answer that question. Who knew what Alfred might do with his answers. 

“Cipher is trying too hard to keep you out of harm’s way, isn’t he?” Alfred said, almost like he was musing. “You must mean something to him.”

Dipper resisted the urge to scoff even though his chest tightened at that. 

“All he’s been doing _is_ putting me in harm’s way,” the brunet said, hissing through his clenched teeth. 

“If that’s the case,” Alfred said. “He would have told you that you’re being targeted by my Master, my King.”

Dipper snapped his gaze to look at him, searching his face as confusion trickled into his mind. “What?”

Alfred smirked. “My Master is the King of Demons, and Cipher’s worst enemy.”

The youngest Pines stared at the demon with anxiousness taking a hold of his rationality. Had he somehow managed to entangle himself in something more sinister than he first imagined? 

This went beyond bonds, and his existence, didn’t it?

This was turning out to become a war between powers. 

Between powerful demons.

“He wishes to see Cipher destroyed,” Alfred said. “And take over the Mindscape, the only territory not under his control. Cipher had betrayed him, it was time he got what’s coming for him.”

“And you decide to kill me because of what Bill did?” Dipper spat out. “I’m not the one who made that mess!”

“No, but you are bonded to him,” Alfred said, his smirk widening, making him look more malicious than anything else. “Let me let you in on a little secret, Sapling.”

Dipper winced at the nickname, glaring at the demon, hoping it would burn holes into him. 

Alfred crouched down again, this time, leaning into his face until they were forced to meet eye-to-eye. The brunet tried to scoot away, making no progress as his back was firmly planted against the tree bark. A gloved hand reached out to push away some strands of his hair from his forehead, revealing his constellation birthmark. 

Dipper made a noise at the back of his throat, pulling his head away from the touch. “Don’t touch me!”

Alfred’s fingers grabbed onto his hair, stopping the youngest Pines from making anymore movements. “Did you know that if you were killed by a higher ranking demon, or a creature with more power than Cipher, he dies with you?”

That froze the brunet, his mocha-brown eyes widened as the words speared through his mind. Alfred grinned, showing off his sharp teeth as he tightened his grip on the strands. 

“He hasn’t told you that, did he?” Alfred said, sounding gleeful. “He kept you out of harm’s way, Sapling, so that he doesn’t perish into nothing if you die.”

Dipper’s heart throbbed, something akin to disappointment washed into him at that. 

He didn’t want to believe Alfred, especially since he was a demon. 

But Bill was a demon too, wasn’t he?

And everyone knew that demons did everything with a price. 

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, hoping to push away the hurt that curled around his thoughts. 

“But,” Alfred said, “there is a way for you to survive if the bond breaks.”

The mocha-brown eyes snapped open, the youngest Pines’ attention on the demon as the words registered in his head. 

“What?” he croaked. 

Alfred shrugged, shoving his hands back into the pockets of his trousers. 

“Master,” Bella said, looking at the tall demon with her eyes wide. “Are you sure you should be telling this to a meatsack like him?”

Alfred glanced at the woman before he looked back at Dipper. “We’ll see.”

The cryptic exchange between these two didn’t fly over the human’s head. Something was up and if this was part of their plan, then he wasn’t sure how he was going to get out of this. 

“What do you mean by that?” Dipper asked. 

Alfred remained quiet, assessing him for a second before he cleared his throat, a smile taking over his face. The edges of his lips were curled upwards, his eyes gleaming and his back straightened, looking intimidating under the small amount of light coming from the moon, filtered through the leaves.

His heart sped up. As he curled his fingers into fists, he realised they were clammy as well. 

Throat drying, he tilted his head upwards a little to listen as the demon spoke, each word pierced through his hazy, confused mind. 

“There is a way to break the bond without having to lose your life,” Alfred said. “All you need to do is step outside of this place the second Cipher has been weakened by Master.”

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows. “Step outside of Gravity Falls?”

“Cipher’s weak as it is,” Alfred said, pulling out one hand from his pockets to wave it around in air. “The only thing keeping him on this plane is because he has anchored onto your mind and the bond that’s been created between you two. Step outside of this place, and the bond will weaken as Cipher doesn’t have much power to leave his area, unharmed.”

“And if the bond is weakened, it can be broken without harming me?” Dipper questioned. 

Alfred’s eyes darkened a little as he took a step closer to the human. “You run, Sapling, as far away as you can from here and never return. And the bond will break and you’ll never have to see Cipher again in your life.”

Dipper froze. 

“Isn’t that what you want?” Alfred said. “To be free again?”

Yes, that was what he wanted. 

Dipper knew that was what he truly needed. He didn’t want to be tied down to anything. 

But that meant he would be leaving Bill to die. 

It was true, Bill was weak. He confessed it himself. And if Dipper left Gravity Falls right this instance, he knew now that Bill wouldn't have any power to control him outside. 

This was his chance for freedom.

“Free without any consequences?” Dipper said. “Just like that?”

Alfred grinned. “Just like that.”

Dipper looked away, wondering why that option didn’t sound as appealing as it once did. 

If he had been given this option a few days back, he would have taken it without hesitation. 

But now. 

Dipper gritted his teeth, his self-righteousness and new blooming tendrils of emotions that made itself known had him shaking his head. He lifted his gaze and met eyes on with Alfred.

“No thanks,” Dipper said.

There was a few seconds of heavy silence as Alfred’s eyes widened a fraction. 

“No?” Alfred said. 

“No,” Dipper repeated himself, his answer firmer than before. “I won’t do that to Bill.”

Alfred hummed. “My, my, my.” He sighed then, shaking his head. “You care for him.”

Dipper winced, his cheeks reddening. 

“Sapling, you do realise that you’re Human, right?” Alfred said, laughter clearly evident in his words. “Demons don’t have _feelings_. We do not care for creatures that have only one-sixteenth of our lifespan. To think Cipher had played you so well.”

“Tricked or not,” Dipper said, his voice loud. “I won’t leave him to fend for himself.”

Alfred’s smile died on his face, faltering. “Suit yourself.”

“Master?” Bella spoke.

“I think it’s time we met our Leader, don’t you think?” Alfred said, a baritone of coldness that forced Dipper to panic. 

Bill. Where was he?

Was he truly not going to come for Dipper?

He knew he didn’t listen to the demon but surely Bill would keep his deal and wouldn’t let any harm befall him?

The tightness around his chest loosened and he gasped when he felt strong fingers grasping his arm, pulling him up faster than he could comprehend. His legs didn’t corporate, his knees buckled. The pain shot down his spine from his arm when the grip tightened, forcing his body to stay upright. 

Hissing under his breath, he was pulled a few steps forward. 

“Let me go,” Dipper groaned, trying to pull away only to yelp when he was continued to drag harshly. 

Where the fuck was his demon?

“Just let me go!” Dipper yelled. “Bill isn’t coming, so let me go!”

It was then he heard it, a piercing noise in the forest, so sharp and loud that he winced. Everything around them bled out of colour, stilling every movement along the way. The sounds stopped, silence washing into the scene. 

Dipper’s breathing was harsh as he took in a shuddering breath, looking around him. 

He noticed that the grip around his arm loosened, so he pulled away and stumbled back, slamming his bottom on the forest ground. 

Another shot of pain rushed into his body as he groaned, tears burning in his eyes. 

Alfred curled his fingers into fists as he stood straighter, turning to look at Dipper before he smirked. 

“So, he did come,” Alfred said. “Come out, come out, Cipher.”

There was no response for a second and then, before Dipper could open his mouth to call for the demon, he spotted Bill. 

He appeared like a phantom right behind Alfred, his once-tanned hands were covered with black and gold markings, nails sharp and dark as he grabbed the demon by the neck. His eye was red, glowing bright in a place that was devoid of colour. The black markings circled his own neck, reaching to one side of his face to the eye that was covered by his hair. 

Dipper’s breath hitched as he watched Bill turning Alfred around and slammed him against a tree, his fingers digging into the throat of the demon until green liquid came pouring out from the punctured holes, wetting the shirt and collars of Alfred’s suit. 

“Didn’t I tell you,” Bill said, his voice dark, heavy. “Not to come back.”

Alfred choked a little but there was a look on his face that didn’t settle well in Dipper’s stomach. 

But fear paralysed him. 

He couldn’t open his mouth to speak. 

Dipper’s eyes moved to Bella, who had moved towards the two of them with something burning in her hands, raised to aim at Bill. 

The youngest Pines struggled to get the words out, the panic he felt overwhelmed him. “Bill!”

The demon in question tensed briefly before he turned to look at Bella’s direction, as if he knew what Dipper was trying to say. 

And that was when he saw the true demon that resided within the human shell that Bill manifested in. 

In a blink of an eye, Bill had moved from Alfred to grab Bella by her hair, immobilising her. Something was happening, that much Dipper knew as he watched the gold and black seeped onto Bella’s skin. A scream tore out from the woman’s mouth, blood-curling and terrifying as she was forced to her knees.

Tears ran down Dipper’s cheeks as he stared at the scene before him. 

“I knew something was wrong with you,” Bill spoke. 

Bella continued to scream and she started struggling. Smoke emitted from her body and with horror, she began to melt. At first it was just a slow descend of her body to the ground and then, her skin started to liquify, dripping to the forest grounds. When silence reigned back into the scene, it was to a pile of puddle on the ground of what Bella used to be. 

Dipper’s mind spun as his vision continued to blur. 

Bill snarled as he snapped to look at Alfred, his posture strong. “I will _kill_ you all.”

Alfred laughed then, pushing himself off the tree as he spit out green liquid from his mouth. “I was planning on getting rid of her anyway.”

“I told you to leave,” Bill said. “You disobeyed me.”

“I do not,” Alfred said, his green eyes flashing as he pulled one corner of his lips upwards, baring his teeth. “Follow your orders, Cipher. Balthazar wanted you dead. And I was to deliver that promise in any possible way.” Alfred’s glowing green orbs met the teary mocha-brown eyes. “In any way necessary.”

Bill chuckled, though it came out as harsh. “Tell little Bal that he will never kill me.” The hellion took a few steps closer to Alfred, his hand shooting out to grab Alfred by his face. 

Dipper couldn’t do it. He couldn’t keep his eyes open then when he heard the familiar cracking noise. He remembered that the last time he heard that noise, it was accompanied by bones breaking. 

He closed his eyes shut and took in deep breaths, hoping that this would end quicker so he could leave this place. 

Even though he knew without a doubt that he was more in trouble that he anticipated. 

He was going to die. 

It was just a matter of time whether it would be in this demon’s hands or Bill’s. 

The cracking noise continued as Bill spoke, “And if he wants to kill me, he should come find me himself. If you ever touch my Bonded again, I will _kill_ you.”

“You can’t kill me, Cipher,” Alfred spoke, his voice breathless. “You’re weak. Face it, Cipher. Your _Human_ will die. You know this. I’m just speeding up the process.”

A high-pitched scream echoed then, causing Dipper to jump. He pulled his knees to his chest as he tried to curl away from the noise, his ears hurting. More tears fell down his cheek, his chest felt tight. 

He didn’t want to be here anymore. 

He wanted to go home.

The scream crescendoed until it died abruptly followed by another loud scream, this time he recognised belonging to Bill. His breathing quickened as he heard footsteps coming near him. He snapped open his eyes when he felt hands over his body, fingers digging into his arms as he was harshly pulled to his feet. 

Bill was standing before him,the black and gold markings still visible all over the other side of his face down to his neck, looking like they were moving. His hands were covered with green. But what really sent dread rushing into Dipper’s body was how the red-glowing eye was now pure black, a slit of red staring at him. 

“Bill,” Dipper breathed out. “Bill, _please_.”

His voice was shaky and a sob got caught in his throat as a hand grabbed his neck, squeezing. “You _disobeyed_ me. You fucking _left_.”

“I’m sorry, please,” Dipper said, shaking. “Please, _don’t_ hurt me.”

The pressure on his neck increased and for a brief few seconds, his life threatened to flash before his eyes. Bill snarled, forcing his head back so their eyes would meet head on. 

“I fucking told you,” Bill said. “I fucking _told_ _you_.”

“I’m sorry,” Dipper gasped. “Please, let me go.”

“Let you go?” Bill said, tossing his head back to laugh. 

A laugh that promised something worse. 

Dipper’s heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach. 

“No, Pine Tree,” Bill hissed as he looked at him again. “I’m going to make sure you  _never_ disobey me again.”

It was then his entire world spun. His mind hurt and his heart felt like it was beating slower. The pain he felt a few minutes ago started to vanish and nausea bloomed in his mind.

He stumbled a few steps forward when he was pushed, environment completely different from before. He knew immediately that he was in his room in the Shack. He turned around to look at Bill who was facing away from him, his shoulders tense. Dipper pulled his hands away from his back, taken aback a little when the ropes fell apart to the ground. He looked at his wrists, wincing when he saw the red marks. 

He rubbed them, taking in a shuddering deep breath, keeping his gaze on Bill. 

Both of them didn’t talk for a minute and Dipper didn't make any move to speak either, unsure of what was going to happen. 

He shuddered as he recalled Bill’s words. 

“I’m,” Dipper started, watching how Bill tensed even more at him speaking. “I’m sorry.”

It was then Bill turned around. The youngest Pines didn’t know if he should sigh in relief or not when he realised that there weren’t anymore gold and black markings on his face and his eye was no longer black. It was still red, glowing and the markings were still present on his neck, but Bill looked less intimidating than before. 

But the brunet still feared him. 

And he knew, deep inside, that this was all his fault. 

If he had listened, he wouldn’t have been in this mess. 

“ _Yes_ ,” Bill spat out, anger in his words. “If you had just _listened_ , you wouldn’t have been in this fucking _mess_!”

Dipper flinched at the volume of the his voice. “I’m sorry.”

“ _Sorry_ ,” Bill said. Footsteps resounded in the air as he took a few steps towards Dipper. The human held back a gasp when the demon grabbed his chin, angling his head upwards. “Tell me, Pine Tree. Does _sorry_ keep you from _dying_?”

Dipper didn’t answer but it seemed Bill was expecting one, judging by how he tightened his grip on his face. 

“ _Does it_?” Bill accentuated the words. 

“N—No,” Dipper stuttered out. “No, it doesn’t.”

“It _doesn’t_ ,” Bill said. “Then, _why_ the _fuck_ are you _apologising_? Do you live to kill yourself? Do you know how _many_ fucking times I have to rescue you? Can’t you _for once_ listen to me?”

Dipper tried to pull away but Bill grabbed on his waist and held him down. “Move away from me and I’ll rip your throat out where you stand, deal be _damned_.”

That stopped the youngest Pines, shaking under the demon’s grip. 

“I told you that she was suspicious,” Bill said, gritting his teeth as he spoke. “You _didn’t_ listen. Do you remember what I said, Pine Tree? Do you know how much I want to kill you myself right now?”

Dipper clamped his lips shut when another apology threatened to escape his lips. 

“I didn’t think—”

“ _You. Never. Think_!” Bill roared, so loud that Dipper couldn’t hold back the sob that was threatening to consume him. 

He burst out crying, as humiliating as it sounded. His body shuddered as tears ran down his cheeks like waterfall, horrible sobbing noises took over his body. He didn’t make any sense but he was too scared, too terrified right now to make sense of anything. 

He didn’t want to feel fear anymore. 

He was sick and tired of everything. 

“I’m sorry!” Dipper managed to get those words out as he touched Bill’s chest, grasping on the green-drenched shirt. 

He tried taking in deep breaths to calm himself down because this wasn’t like him. 

But his mind continued to be overwhelmed of everything. 

He registered a hand touching his forehead, brushing his hair away before the fingers settled on his birthmark. It was then he felt something warm entering his mind, pushing away the darkness that enveloped his thoughts. The weight of everything was slowly lifting, the ache in his head washing away. 

Dipper hadn’t known how long he was crying but by the time he came to be himself, even a little, he realised he was holding onto Bill tight, both hands around his torso as his face buried into the chest. A hand was running through his hair, another hand caressing the small of his back. 

“You stupid meatsacks and your emotions,” Bill muttered against him but it sounded tired more than anything. 

Dipper sagged into his hold and he was moved, pulled to the bed. Bill sat down before he dragged the youngest Pines against him, curling over his lap like a cat. 

It was quiet for a while as Dipper remained like that. A part of him wanted to leap away from the grip, to walk away, but he was done running away. 

He didn’t want to do this anymore. 

“We need to talk,” Bill said, his voice was flat but there was something in them nevertheless that had Dipper nodding. 

He shuffled away from the demon and sat next to him, body angling close to him. The hand on his hair left to touch his cheek, caressing his skin. Dipper shuddered as he hunched his shoulders closer to his body. 

“Did he do anything to you?” Bill asked. 

“No,” Dipper said. “Yes. I don’t know. My head hurt a lot when I woke up and.”

“He overwhelmed your mind,” Bill said, his hand dropping away from the human’s face. “He tried to call me.”

Dipper’s heart clenched in his chest. “I was out for five hours. Why…”

Bill shrugged. “He cloaked you. I couldn’t pinpoint it through our bond. And you were passed out for a while, almost like he kept you under by force. And when you’re not awake, it’s harder to detect you.”

The youngest Pines frowned, his eyes locking on Bill’s hands that were now tan, no longer looking green or black or gold. 

“He told me some things,” Dipper said, the words rushing out of his mouth, voluntarily. 

“What did he say?” Bill said. 

Dipper hesitated for a brief moment before he shook his head and said, “He said I could have left this place and you wouldn’t have enough power to come after me. And when—who is Balthazar, Bill?”

Balthazar, the name rang into his mind recalling the two demons talking about him. 

Bill scoffed. “Balthazar is a greedy bastard. He will never stop until he kills me.”

“Alfred…he said he’s the King of Demons?” Dipper said, almost wondering if he wanted to hear the answer. 

Bill glanced at him, the red hue still present in his eye even though there were some gold breaking through them. 

Dipper stopped that line of question, taking in a deep breath. “He said if I left, the bond could break and I won’t die.”

Bill sighed, flopping on the bed as he stared at the ceiling. It was then Dipper saw another side to Bill that he thought he would ever see in a million years. The side of him that made him look—human. 

Even though, he knew that wasn’t it. 

Bill was not human. 

And yet. 

At this moment, laying on the bed, a monotonous look on his face and his arms splayed out on either side of his body—he looked normal. 

“Do you truly want to break the bond?” Bill asked, turning his head so he was looking at Dipper. 

The human opened his mouth and then snapped his lips shut. He looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know.”

It was the truth. 

“All I know is,” Dipper said, his cheeks reddening. “Is that I didn’t pick that choice. I didn’t want to.”

He turned his head to look at Bill. 

Then, a smile. A small one, but there was a smile breaking through the demon’s lips. 

The youngest Pines’ heart skipped a beat. 

“You didn’t want to,” Bill said, sighing. 

Dipper looked away, the heat from his face travelled to the back of his neck, causing flutters to erupt in his stomach. 

A hand touched his own, grasping his fingers tight. 

“Come here,” Bill said as he pulled Dipper down to his side with a tug of his arm.

Maybe because tonight had been a terrible experience but Dipper flopped next to him without arguing. His head was pillowed by Bill’s arm as the demon turned to face him. They were in close proximity, so close that if Dipper closed his eyes, he was sure he could feel his heartbeat loud and clear. 

He searched the now pure gold eye, feeling his body relax. 

“What else did he say?” Bill asked, his voice hushed. 

“If Balthazar killed me,” Dipper said. “Then that kills you off too.”

Bill didn’t say anything, instead, something weird crossed his eye. Before Dipper could question about it, the arm that pillowed him curled, pushing Dipper against his chest. Frozen for a second, he waited for Bill to do something, closing his eyes shut when he felt the fingers running through his hair again. 

A pair of lips touched his temple before Bill settled against him, close and holding Dipper tight. 

“Bill?” Dipper said. 

“Sapling,” Bill began, his voice low. “I need you to promise me something.”

Dipper let the nickname wash over him like a warm blanket, stopping himself from pushing away from Bill so he didn’t turn out completely red. The request registered in his mind a second later, causing him to freeze. 

He angled his head a little so he could look at Bill, raising his eyebrows. 

Bill grinned, sharp but there was something soft about his expression. “Now, now, don’t look at me like I’m planning something.”

That alarmed Dipper as his eyes widened. 

“Bill, what are you going to do?” he asked, warily. 

Dipper wasn’t given the chance to retort when lips descended on his own, stunning him for a moment. His eyes were wide and he stopped breathing for a second. Bill smiled, and if Dipper had been any wiser, he would have said Bill had been glowing a little. 

“Promise me,” Bill said, his voice held an authoritative note to it that rooted deep into Dipper. “You will never _ever_ follow a stranger into the forest ever again without me by your side. You will not go into the forest alone _and_ you will not follow anyone else besides me into the woods.”

“I,” Dipper started only to shudder when Bill spoke again.

“ _Promise. Me_.” 

The words were heavy, and they forced their way into the brunet’s mind like they were made to. 

Dipper gasped, his eyes fluttering closed when he felt a spark underneath his skin. It spread throughout his body before they settled, focusing on one spot. His inner thigh where the mark was. 

His face reddened as he touched his leg, not daring to dip his fingers to that place, afraid of what he would discover. 

The sparks continued, his mind buzzing as he opened his mouth, uttering out, “I promise.”

Immediately after, the sensation stopped, leaving behind a kind of heat at where the mark was located. 

He blushed red. 

“What did you do to me?” Dipper whispered, cracking open his eyes to stare at Bill, confusion marring his featured. 

Bill hummed, pushing Dipper on his back, hovering over him. His gold-coloured eye brightened a shade as he pressed his body against the smaller one, trapping him. 

“I told you, didn’t I?” the demon said, grinning. He trailed a finger down Dipper’s cheek to his neck. “I’m going to make sure you _never_ disobey me again.”

Dipper didn’t know what he did but whatever it was, he had a vague idea that it involved the bond. 

“Did you,” Dipper said, taking in a shuddering breath in when their noses brushed, face close. “Did you just use the bond to order me around?”

Bill chuckled. “My Sapling is so smart, isn’t he?”

Dipper blushed, gritting his teeth as the familiar annoyance appeared in his mind. “Bill. What did you do?”

It was then Bill leaned in closer, fingers grasping Dipper’s jaw and turning them to one side, arching his neck to the demon. He hovered against a patch of skin near his ear, causing the youngest Pines to gasp, his body taut. 

A shiver ran down his spine, bringing with it was this heat, pooling at the pit of his stomach. 

“Did you know, Pine Tree,” Bill said, words pouring out of his mouth like honey. “That if I inserted just the right amount of power into the bond, I can make you do anything I want?”

Dipper stopped breathing at that. 

“But I won’t do that, of course,” Bill said, pulling up a little to look at the human in the eyes. “I’m doing this though, so you don’t get into anymore undesirable situation. On the contrary, Sapling, I do not want you dead.”

The brunet should have pushed Bill away in anger. 

Shouted profanities and run out of there. 

But instead, he found himself believing Bill. 

“Is it because you don’t want to die and end up weak?” Dipper asked, almost hushed. “Is that why you want to keep me safe? Because I’m useful to you?”

The demon searched his face before he huffed an amused breath. He leaned in again, this time making sure their eyes were met. 

“Sapling, if that was the case, I would have broken the bond and left you a long time ago,” Bill said.

“What?” Dipper furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Pine Tree,” Bill spoke. “I gained enough power to sustain myself on my own now. I don’t need you anymore.”

“Then…,” Dipper said, eyes wide. “Then why are you going so far to protect me?”

It couldn’t just be because of the deal, couldn’t it?

Bill snorted. “Because, Pine Tree. You are mine.”

The demon brought their noses close together, brushing a little before he tilted his head so his hot breath fanned Dipper’s. 

“Is that all?” Dipper couldn’t help but to ask, mesmerised at the warmth and the weight on him, as well as the burning need to catch those lips with his own. 

To melt under the pressure. 

Bill met his eyes once more. 

This time, they told of a story Dipper wasn’t sure he was ready to hear yet. 

But his heart knew either way, when it picked up speed and his entire body tingled. 

“Sapling,” Bill whispered. “Didn’t I tell you I can learn to love?”

The demon pressed his lips against the brunet’s then, sealing away any protest. 

 

 


End file.
